Fall For Me?
by Honorary Viral
Summary: Ella's your average, quiet student. She hates the spotlight. She hates her old school, Mogadore. And now she hates the fact that nine of her peers hate each other. As Ella tries to uncover their past, she is dumped in the deep end and gets a whole lot more than she bargained for.
1. So, You Don't Like Each Other?

**A/N**

 **Hey y'all! This is also a different type of writing to what I'm used to, so it may be a bit weird at first. Anyway, tell me if it's a yay or nay.**

 **The title probably won't make sense at first, but trust me, it will eventually.**

 **Enjoy!**

I walk into my new school, my head down. My auburn ponytail swishes into my face. So far, no one has questioned me. Thank goodness. I hate the spotlight, and everything that comes with it.

"Um, I'm Ella Ra, the new student. Do you have my schedule?" I ask politely. The office lady hands it over. I murmur a thanks and head to my first class. Art. I smile. My favourite subject. My father, Crayton, had taught me when I was little. My head hit something.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Are you okay? Hey, you're the new kid!" A girl about a year older than me exclaims. She has dark brown hair that falls on her shoulders.

"Sorry. Do you know where the art class is?" I ask.

"Right there. Mrs Meese is really nice. I'm Marina by the way," Marina says kindly. I nod.

"Thanks!" I call over my shoulder as I open the door, and snicker quietly at the teachers name. Mrs Meese?

"Hi there Ella. Welcome to Garde High. You can take the seat by Maren," the teacher points to a seat next to a girl who looks the same age as Marina. She waves jauntily. Hmm.

"Yo, I'm Maren," the girl says coolly. She is pretty. Her black hair falls past her shoulders, and her grey eyes sparkle against her olive skin.

"Ella," I reply confidently, sticking my hand out. Maren shakes it.

"Hey, new girl! You single?" A loud voice calls out across the room. I scowl and turn around. A boy with long black hair is waving at me, a taunting grin on his face.

"Yeah, you want my number? It's 023 N-E-V-E-R," I yell back. Woah, I was never like that. Maren smiles wider. The boy is actually calling the number. He winked at me, then put it on speaker. A croaky voice rings out through the room.

"Listen, sonny, stop calling this damn number! Just accept that all the girls are rejecting you!" I crack up. How many times have girls said that to him?

"Did you not get the message the first time, Stanley? Not every girl has the same number. How dumb are you?" Maren says, irritated. It was her who did it the first time? She and I exchange glances.

"I think I'm gonna like you, new girl. I think I'm gonna like you a whole lot."

After art, I have maths. I'm sitting beside a boy with blonde hair, and another blonde girl. The blondeness is overwhelming. They even have blue eyes, and look scarily similar.

"Are you two related?" I ask. They turn to me.

"He wishes," the girl says, "I'm Myra, by the way."

"John," replies the guy. Myra and John clearly hate each other. I wonder why.

"Did you two have a bad break-up or something?" I ask.

"You picked up on that, huh? It's...personal," Myra scowls.

"It's not just us. But don't worry about it, kid," John says, a whole lot more nicely than Myra.

"Whatever," Myra rolls her eyes.

"Myra, John, and Ella! Detention afterschool!" Yells our teacher. I scowl. You can bet I was pleased when that class was over. I leap out of my seat and dodge my way through the hall, into the cafeteria. I spot Marina waving me over, along with Stanley at another table. I give him a disgusted look, then walk over to Marina. Stanley's friends jeer at him.

"Hey! I see you've met Stanley..." Marina trails off, hatred in her eyes.

"Does everyone at this school hate each other or something? First Myra and John, Stanley and Maren, and now you?" I have had it with this. It's seriously irritating.

"Right. Well, there was an...incident involving nine of us. Stanley, Maren, John, Myra, Joseph, Maggie, Hannu, Cody and me. So now we all hate each other," Marina explains.

"Who's who?" I ask. Marina points to a loud table in the middle.

"We're all in different cliques, see. We were all in one, but then we split up into the others. Stanley's in the popular crowd, who you already know. Maggie's the redhead in that quiet group, aka the nerds. Cody's the dark haired boy over there. He's the outcast. Then John is just...John. He doesn't really have a clique. Myra's the scene type, though she doesn't look it, or act it really. Hannu is with the skaters, see the half-African one? Joseph is the class clown, and he hangs out with those people. He's Indian. Maren? The rebellious one. Me, well, I'm kinda like John. But not," her eyes go hard. I notice her face softening when she got to Joseph, and she seemed really...hurt, I guess, more than the others. But if Marina says she hates them, I'll take her word. I need to know what happened between them all, and it must be bad. This truth won't be easy to find. And in finding it, what will become of me? Because I sure as heck know they won't let it go that easy.

After all that heavy thinking, I head off to soccer trials. I'm obviously not trying out, but Marina's friend Jody is, and she asked me to come.

"Hey, Ella! Over here!" Liana yells, waving me over. I jog towards her.

"Hey," I say. A man walks over, looking worried.

"We don't have enough girls for our trial teams," he says. Liana frowns.

"I thought you had too many?" She asks.

"We do, but we need four different teams. Could you play, Li?" He questions. Liana shakes her head. "Sorry, Coach," So thats who he is. "I fractured my ankle. Maybe Ella could, though..." I gape at her. What? I don't even know the rules of soccer! Coach turns to me.

"Could you, Ella? We'd really appreciate it," he begs. I sigh. What they hey.

"Whatever. Sure, I'll play. But I'm warning you, I'm not very good," I tell him.

"That's what they all say," he laughs, and points to the field.

"Start warming up." Oh God. What have I done? I pull my ponytail tighter, shuck my cardigan, and jog over to the field. I recognize some of the people as the nine that Marina told me about. Maren, John, Myra, Cody...and crap, Stanley. That jerk. He says something to his friends, which they laugh at. He waves exaggeratedly. I return a not so nice gesture. His friends snicker. I head over to Maren and warm up beside her. She grins at me.

"Hey, Ella. Didn't know you played soccer," she says.

"Neither did I," I reply. Maren snorts.

"Coach actually managed to get you to play? What'd he do?"

"Offered A's in all my PE classes. God knows I need it," I reply.

"Hey, sweetheart. So I've been thinking. My place or yours?" Stanley runs up, smirking at Maren. She smiles, sickly sweet.

"Both. You go to yours, I go to mine," she responds, not looking up from her stretches.

"Were you in my class last year? I could've sworn we had chemistry," Stanley shoots. Does that guy ever give up?

"Nope. Whatever was left of your brain must of disappeared, Worthington. We didn't do chemistry last year, you dolt," Maren replies, then says something else.

"Hey Stanley, did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" She asks sweetly. I actually think she's being serious. Even Stanley looks shocked.

"Why do you say that, Mar? Because I'm so beautiful?" I snort. Maren smiles maliciously.

"No, because your face is messed up," she retorts.

"Ooh, burn..." I say.

"One day, Maren Elizabeth, I will win you over! Just you wait!" Stanley calls over his shoulder.

"Alright, kiddos. Let's start this trial."

Two hours later, I'm struggling to breathe, fighting to move my muscles, and on the Garde High girls soccer team. Problem: so are Maren and Myra. And John and Stanley are both on the boys team. I think Cody pulled out halfway through. No idea why, though. Marina and Jody are walking beside me to celebrate. Jody got in too. We enter a small café and take a seat near the back. A thought hits me.

"Marina? I just realized, all of your, enemies, per say, start with M. The girls, anyway." Marina contemplates this.

"Yes. I suppose we do. Myra, Maggie, Maren and Marina," she spits out the first three names like they're poison.

"What happened between you nine?" I ask curiously, "I notice some of you get on better than others."

"I suppose you mean Stanley and Maren? He was in love with her. I don't know if he still is," Marina says.

"John and Myra seem...extremely hostile," I say carefully.

"They were two of the worst affected. But we're all mostly like that, too," Marina tells me. I can't imagine Marina hating someone. I realize I'm supposed to be at detention.

"Crud, I have to go! Detention awaits!" I call, then sprint back to the school. I burst in halfway through. The teacher, Mr Jones, looks up.

"Nice of you to join us," he drawls. I take a seat. Jonesy leaves about three minutes later.

"What're you in here for?" I turn to my left. A pale boy with black hair flopping over his eyes sits there.

"Talking during class," I reply. He was sitting at...John's table?

"Ouch. Mr Rey, right? I don't like that guy. I got busted hacking the schools database," he says. My jaw drops. Hacking the schools database? How smart was this guy? Or, really, how trustworthy?

"I know. But I'm not like that. My friend John needed to know something. I'm Adam, by the way. Adam Sutekh," he sticks out his hand. I shake it.

"Hey, Adam, do you know what happened with John and his friends?" I ask.

"Damn, you're that new kid that's always hanging out with those nine, aren't you? They did some pretty unforgivable things, from what I heard, but it's not up to me to tell you. I'm guessing you've already asked Marina. Dangerous territory. I suggest you stay out of it," he says it in a few breaths. Hmm.

"I'm Ella. And, just a question, is that actually, uh, allowed in detention?" I point at Myra, who's punching a dark haired guy in the face.

"Oh, Myra? She does anything to go against the rules. Also, that guys a jerk. Pretty dodgy, too. I suggest you stay away," Adam advises.

"Will do," I nod.

"Have you met all of them, yet? I know about John, Marina, and Myra, but anyone else?" Adam asks.

"Uh, yeah. I've talked to Maren, and Stanley. Both in the same class. It was a lovely experience, I tell you," I say. Adam laughs.

"God, really? What did you think about them?" He snorts.

"What can I say? Stanley's a complete jerk, and Maren? She's nice enough to me, but...I dunno. Something about her just scares me," I tell him.

"I get what you mean. Stanley's not actually a bad guy. He just acts the way he does to cover it up. But Maren...she's scarier than my mom when I insult her cooking, and that is something you do not want to see."


	2. I Go Emo and Everyone Gets Dating Advice

**A/N**

 **Yo, it's chapter 2, because I'm really bored and can't be bothered waiting for a couple days. So, without further ado, here's chapter two! (That rhymed. Coolio!)**

I walk home on my own. I realize that my attitudes completely changed at this new school. I've gotten more confident, somehow, over the past few weeks. No more meek, quiet Ella. I look down at my new soccer uniform. I'm a changed person, and for the better. When I get home, I collapse on my bed. I'm too tired to do anything, really. I wonder when I'm going to meet the others. That's my last thought before I drift off to sleep.

I'm in a deserted town, it looks like Chicago. Everything's a mess. Debris everywhere, a couple of...bodies lying on the ground. I can only stare in horror. I look at myself in a murky puddle. My jaw drops even further. My auburn hair is pulled up in a tight bun, and I'm wearing a flowing black dress which is surprising against my pale skin. Black veins run under it. My brown eyes look tired and serious. I hold back a scream. My subconsciousness guides me, until I'm sitting beside a monster, in a golden throne. It feels like a twisted fairytale. Two people are marched up to us, along with a few guards. Or, that's what I assume they are. Cody is one of them. I recognize the two as...Maren? Another one of John's friends, Sam, I think? Then I notice that sound is coming out of my mouth.

"Execute them," my subconsciousness says. I refuse to believe it's me. The monster swings down an axe towards Maren's head. I scream. I sit upright in bed, shaking and sweaty, hugging my blankets close around me. I stand up and head to the bathroom. I look terrible. Dark circles under my eyes, along with being red and puffy. The edges of my nose are red too. My lips are cracked, and my throat is sore from screaming. Crayton will already be at work. I splash water over myself, and pull on a hoodie and sweatpants. I arrive at school feeling drained. I see Marina standing in front of me, saying something. But right then, I can't care less.

"Piss off," I say, and push past her, and head to my locker. People are looking at me, confused. They know me as a happy, bubbly kind of person. And I have been, but that dream was so real, and it brought back memories of...my mom. She died when I was little. Some robbery gone wrong. Five bullets to the head. I guess I'm falling into depression again. I see Stanley leaning against my locker. Adam was right, he isn't actually that bad a guy. I'd consider him my friend.

"Hey, Els. How's it going?" He asks. I don't answer, and instead open my locker and get my stuff. I'm about to walk off when I feel a hand on my arm.

"Hey, you ok?" Stanley asks. He looks so concerned. He's really...cute. Oh, no, Ella, you do not like the guy who'd break your heart. You do not like the guy who probably sees you as an irritating younger sister. I look up at him. Damn, Stanley, why must I like you?

"Yeah. Fine. Let go of my arm, Stanley," I say blandly. He does, looking hurt.

"I know you're not okay, Ella. I will find out. Nothing gets past me unnoticed," he waves his fingers at me, then heads over to his jock friends.

Maren and Stanley are arguing when I get to class. Huh, how'd Stanley get here before me? Anyway...

"Well, maybe I would've if you hadn't done what you did!" Maren snapped.

"Well, this isn't about that, anymore, and you should know it, more than anyone. No one should take or hurt just because they can, and I made damn sure those bastards weren't going to do it again. You of all people should know why," he retorted.

"Should I? Because I don't, Stanley. I don't know," Maren argued. I think she's sincere.

"Screw you Maren," Stanley shoves open the door to the art room. I snap at Maren every time she talks to me. That was one class I'd like to forget.

Detention again. Apparently it's to 'build on to my respect for superiors', whatever the heck that means. I just think its rubbish, honestly.

"Hey, Adam," I sit down next to him again.

"Hey, Ella. Woah, uh...are you emo now?" He asks. I look over his hair.

"Are you sure you can ask that?" I reply.

"Hey! I'm not emo! See, red shirt, blue shorts, no black. But  
you, on the other hand..." he trailed off and gestures to my black hoodie, jeans and shoes.

"All your missings' the hair," he says. I laugh.

"Oh yes, I definitely want emo hair," I snort.

"So how's your quest for the story behind the Nine going," he questions.

"Not well. Apparently Stanley's all into this humanitarian stuff, surprisingly. He was arguing with Maren, another shocker."

"Yeah, he had this serious girlfriend a couple years back. Turns out she was cheating on him for money. After that, she moved away, and Stanley found out that it'd been so some guy wouldn't sue her parents. She died in a car crash a few weeks later. From then on, Stanley became sort of...more aware, really. That's what that whole attitude comes from," Adam tells me. My jaw drops.

"How'd you know that?" I ask.

"John and him used to be tight. Best bros. But then the thing happened, and...you know the rest," he says.

"So, were you close with any of the others? I mean, having to pick a side..." I trail off.

"Uh, yeah. There was one of them. But we sort of...grew apart. So I went with John," he says. I nod. I wonder which one it is, though.

"So. On a lighter note, are you okay?" He asks me. I bark out a laugh.

"On a lighter note, I've been having nightmares. Really bad ones. I've pretty much wrecked my relationships with my friends, or people who were nice to me, at least. Maren, Marina, Stanley, they all probably hate me. Myra and John didn't seem too keen on me, and I haven't really met the others yet, but I'll mess that up too," I sigh. Adam tilts his head.

"I'm sensing something deeper here. You got close to them in the past few weeks?" He asks curiously.

"No," I say quickly. I can feel the heat on my cheeks. Damnit!

"Eh? Am I correct in thinking that you, Ella, like S-"

"Shut _up_! How did you even get that from me saying no? If anyone heard any of that then-" I cut him off, only to be cut off myself.

"Relax. You're secrets safe with me. Really. St-" I shoot him a look. " _Him_?" Adam corrects himself.

"Yeah, I just...I dunno, got to know him and I know I probably shouldn't like him, but..."

"I understand the feeling. You want to hate them, know you _should_ hate them, but somehow..." he trails off again.

"Exactly! So, who's the lucky girl?" I wink, edging closer.

"Um, about that...Myra...might've..." Adam mumbles. I grin.

"Ooh, really? Isn't she with that Wade guy, though?" I frown. His face hardens.

"Yeah. He's a total tool. Shoplifts, vandalizes, he's actually gotten her to shoplift, too. She got caught. He's ruining her, she used to be so...different, I guess." So that's why she acted hostile. Wade.  
"Well, I am going to fix them, and I am going to get you two together if its the last thing I do," I say determinedly. Adam just shakes his head.

"Be careful, Ella. You're getting into some pretty serious stuff."

At lunch, I look around. I cant really sit with Marina, after what I said to her. Stanley was what I called a friend, but...today wasn't a great day for that. I'd never sit with his crowd anyway. I see Adam at his table, and lock eyes with him. I raise my hand in the universal 'what am I supposed to do?' gesture. He leans over to John, and whispers something to him. John looks up and nods. Adam waves me over. I sigh in relief, and head over there.

"You don't know how grateful I am," I tell him, putting my tray down in the space next to him.

"No problem. Hey, guys? This is Ella. Ella, meet Sam," he points to a brown haired guy, "Sarah, John's girlfriend," he nods at a pretty blonde girl, "and those two are Daniela and Drake." Daniela has brown braids, while Drake was another blondie.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ella," I say.

"We know," Sam says, but not meanly, "I mean, since Adam told us before." I grin.

"Yeah," I reply.

"So, Ella, what brings you to our Meredith?" Drake asks. I furrow my eyebrows.

"Meredith?" I question, confused. Adam laughs.

"Drake has a weird obsession with this lunch table. He named it Merida our first year here," Daniela explains, smirking.

"Meredith, not Merida! How many times do I have to tell you?" Drake groans. They start arguing, while the others roll their eyes amusedly.

"They always do this," Sarah tells me, "they're at it nonstop. I swear they have a thing for each other." I stifled a giggle as Drake and Daniela froze, turning their heads to Sarah.

"WE DO NOT!" They yell at the same time. Sarah raises an eyebrow. They scowl at her. I turn to Adam.

"If Sarah and John are dating, and Drake and Daniela have a _thing_ ," I put emphasis on thing as the two glare at me, "then what about you and Sam? Is there something going on there too?" I ask, wiggling my eyebrows. The others all start cracking up, but Adam and Sam both look mortified.

"No way!" Sam says. I just grin.

"Adam and Sam sitting in a tree," Sarah begins. The rest of the table starts singing.

"You know what, I'm going to the bathroom," Adam grumbles, and stands up.

"I'm with you, dude," Sam stands up.

"Off to fulfil the song, eh?" Sarah smiles. Sam immediately sits down.

"That's a tree, not a bathroom..." he mutters. And that's how I became friends with John, Sarah, Sam, Daniela, Drake and Adam.

"This is ridiculous! Pi shouldn't go into x, it should be going into my mouth," Drake complains for the hundredth time. We were in the same math class, and we had partnered up for todays assignment. Which was a seriously bad idea, since neither of us have any idea what we're doing.

"Why couldn't I have Sam in this class? He's smart," he mumbles.

"Hey! I'm smart!" I punch his arm, "at soccer."

"And I'm smart," Drake says, "at pranks. Not math."

"You like pranking?" I ask.

"Yeah, but no one knows I do. I'm a closet pranker," he states expertly.

"A...closet pranker?" I grin.

"I don't get to prank much, so I'm a closet pranker, yes," he says stubbornly.

"Whatever you say, Dray."

"Hey! You know I hate being called Dray!" Drake protests.

"Which is why I do it, Drakey," I reply smoothly.

"Is ickle Ella giving me pet names? Does Ella... _like_ me?" he gasps dramatically.

"No-" I start.

"She does! Itty ickle Ella likes me!" he nudges me. I scowl.

"Oh, of course. Your good looks and wit have won me over.  
Will you ever be mine?" I sigh dramatically. Drake pretends to think.

"Mmm, I dunno. My girlfriend will be pretty mad..."

"You mean Daniela?" I smirk.

"No! I don't like her," Drake glares.

"Denial isn't just a river in Egypt!" I crow, winking.

"I am not in denial!"

"Acceptance is just around the corner..." I feel something hit my face. Drake grins. He used his pencil as a slingshot! I dunno how, but he did. This means _war!_ I throw my eraser at him. It bounces off his forehead. He looks shocked.

"Finally realizing your mad affection?" I ask innocently.

"As if," he scoffs. He's about to do something else, but the teacher interrupts us.

"Miss Ra and Mr Kent. Please go to the office immediately," says Ms Carpin.

"Yes!" Drake mutters under his breath. I stifle a giggle.

"Something funny, Miss Ra?"

"No ma'am." I follow Drake out. Once he closes the door, he turns to me, holding up his palm. I slap it.

"No more dumb textbook work!" he grins.

"You're the dumb one for not understanding it," I point out.

"Neither did you," he points out back. If that's a thing. I don't think it is. Oh well.

"So, office."

"Yep. Right this way!" Drake holds open the door.

"Its that close to the math room?" I ask.

"Yep. People misbehave most in her class, so they put it right next door," he says. I laugh at that.

"Thanks," I tell him, walking through the doorway.

"Yep. No problem."

"Are you ever going to stop saying yep?"

"Yep. Just not now."

"You're annoying."

"Yep. I get that a lot. All comes with being a closet pranker."

"Mr Kent and Miss Ra, please take a seat and stop that...bantering," the receptionist says. I make a face. Drake does the same. But I take my seat, nonetheless. I look around. Maren, Myra, and Stanley and a few of his friends are sitting in there already. My seats next to Myra's.

"What'd you do to wind up in here?" she asks me. I look at her, surprised.

"I...don't actually know. Talking, or something," I reply. Ms Carpin didn't actually specify.

"Lemme guess, Mr Rey or Ms Carpin."

"Yep, Ms Carpin. Though I did get detention from-wait, nevermind. You were in that detention," I say.

"Look who's saying yep now," Drake whispers to me. I elbow him, then look back at Myra.

"Yeah, sorry about that. It's kinda my fault. Mine and...John's," she spits out his name.

"What about John?" Drake asks.

"You're that friend of his, Drake, right? Daniela's boyfriend?" Myra asks. I snicker. Drake scowls.

"She's not my girlfriend!" he explodes. I roll my eyes at Myra.

"He's in denial. That's partly why we're in here. I said something about that, then he threw something at me," I tell her.

"Ah, of course. Acceptance is just around the corner," she  
says.

"That's what she said!" Drake bursts. Myra and I snicker quietly while everyone sitting near us looks at Drake weirdly. Realization dawns on Drake's face as he understands what he said.

"That's, uh, what Ella said before I threw something at her, I mean. Uh, yeah," he corrects himself, scratching his neck awkwardly.

"Nice one," I smirk.

"Shut up," he mutters.

"Wait, you're Myra!" Drake says suddenly.

"Uh, yeah. So?"

"So I'm not supposed to talk to you! It's a 'massive act of disrespect against the unspoken, unwritten friendship contract you automatically agree to when you become friends with John," he rants. Myra raises an eyebrow.

"I hate John, John hates me, that doesn't mean his friends have to," she replies.

"Eh, screw it. He'll forgive me. He cant live without me," Drake boasts.

"Yeah, and you also have a thing with Daniela, so-"

"I DO NOT LIKE HER!" Drake yells. Everyone in the room turns to him. He just stares, as if nothing happened. Myra smirks.

"Denial!" I sing. He glares at me. Myra stands up.

"Hey, everybody. Who here knows who Drake goes out with?" she asks. Someone starts humming Hey Everybody by 5 Seconds of Summer.

"Daniela, obviously."

"He totally has a thing with Daniela."

"Isn't he dating that braided-haired chick?"

"He's always flirting with her, duh. He likes her, doesn't he?"

"He's Daniela's boyfriend." Myra and I send smug looks at Drake. He looks confused.

"Where the hell do you people get this stuff from?" he asks.

"Well, I thought it was obvious, man."

"Everyone knows, except you two, apparently."

"Its common knowledge. Like, how birds eat worms. Or the sky is blue, or-"

"We get the point, Stanley," Maren says pointedly.

"I wasn't talking to you, Maren," Stanley replies coldly.

"Who were you talking to, then? I thought it was everyone," she retorts.

"Drake asked the question, didn't he? Even though it's obvious as hell that he likes her, I still answered him."

"Well maybe you shouldn't have," Maren says coolly.

"Maybe you should go jump off a cliff."

"Maybe you should castrate yourself."

"Maybe you-"

"Maybe you two should just kiss and make up. It's been years," Myra broke in.

"Why would I kiss her?"

"Why should I listen to you?"

"Your problem isn't with me, and you know it. I mean yeah, we still hate each other, and for a good reason, but all this arguing's kinda getting old. I mean, is it solving anything? No," Myra says. Stanley looks thoughtful. Maren does too, for a moment.

"No. We can't go back to how it was, and you know it, Myra. You're in the same situation as me, really," Stanley replies.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Myra says coolly.

"Of course you do. Did it hurt, when they didn't choose you? I've been through that twice, Myra. Imagine how I feel about it."

"Oh, that's right, you're the massive humanitarian now, huh? Don't hurt or take for no reason. Well, news flash, Stanley; you've hurt a billion people while you've been at this school. Do I see any regret?" Maren breaks in. Drake mouths the words 'see what you started' to me. I roll my eyes, and mouth 'only because you won't ask Daniela out' back. He scowls.

"You know it's true," I tease. The room goes quiet. Oh, crud, I said that out loud.

"I wasn't talking about _you_ ," I mumble to Stanley.

"Don't worry 'bout it. I know it's true, even you think so," he says calmly.

"I was talking to _Drake_ ," I reply through gritted teeth.

"Ya know what, I think the person just waved us over, let's go," Drake grabs my arm and pulls me out into the office.

"You're trying to fix them," Drake says. I don't answer, it isn't a question.

"They cant be fixed, El. So quit trying."

"Yeah. Sure. But I have a master plan," I grin.

"To get close to all of the nine, then find a way to bring them back together?" Drake asks. I gape at him.

"How did you-"

"It's obvious. I saw you with Marina's lunch group, practicing soccer with Maren, just then with Myra, talking to Stanley the other day, looked pretty intimate, actually, sitting with us. What, are Adam and I just being used by you?" Drake rants.

"Hold up. I talk to them because they're _nice_ , but I've screwed that up pretty bad. Second, intimate?! What the heck? Third, no! I wouldn't use you guys! You're my best friends," I retort. Drake grins.

"I know, El. I was just testing you," he replies. I stare in disbelief.

"You made that all up, and were that accurate?" I gape.

"Oh, God no. I actually did know that stuff," Drake assures me.

"What did you mean by _intimate_?" I ask. Drake smirks.

"You know how my lockers near yours? Well, I saw you two talking, looking all cosy, so I assumed..." he trails off. I hit his arm.

"Jerk wad," I mutter.

"What? What the heck's a jerk wad?" he looks genuinely confused. I scoff.

"Whatever. So, are you in?"

"In on what?"

"On my plan to bring them back together," I explain slowly.

"Hey! I'm not stupid!" I raise my eyebrows. "Well, that would be one big group...practically the whole school...and Meredith" he trails off. I look at him. "Oh, fine. Screw it. I'll help. But on one condition," he says seriously.

"Yeah?"

"I get to play matchmaker on you and S-"

"Shut up or you're out of the plan."

"Bu-"

"Exactly. So. You will not talk about that, and I...won't talk about you and Daniela," I sigh.

"I like this deal," Drake perks up immediately.

"Of course you do," I mutter.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," I mumble.

"So, what's the plan, boss?" Drake asks.

"Uh, what plan?" I question.

"The plan to get the gang back together! That you signed me up for," Drake says enthusiastically.

"Um...infiltrate the cliques," I tell him. Drake looks torn.

"I cant do that, John'll hate me," he says.

"Exactly. You try to get John and Myra to be friends again, while I infiltrate the cliques," I restate.

"Right," Drake says unconvincingly. "You know how impossible that is?"

"Yup. Which is why Adam's helping you."

"What? He knows?"

"Yup. We had detention together, remember? He shares your views on...everything," I mumble. Drake grins.

"Even on Stanley?"

"Yes, even-shut up, okay? Talk about it with him, not me. We made a deal, remember?" I scowl.

"Hey, Ella! You wanna meet up and practice soccer after school?" Maren calls. I nod.

"Yeah, see you at 4!" I yell back.

"You're actually friends with her?" Drake asks.

"Yeah. I'm ahead of the plan. Waayyyyy ahead."

 **So, everyone excited for United as One? It's out at the end of June! (Or maybe another month, if you're in another country...I dunno) I'm betting that Five's gonna fight for the Garde, but they still won't trust him. Setrakus Ra won't be dead, even though he** ** _should've died._** **And I think that the person will be either John (cause, I mean, the story** ** _is_** **called** ** _I am Number Four)_** **or Adam. But I also think Adam will die (even though he's a pretty cool character and I do not want him to die). Also, Six and Sam will not be together. I'm sorry. I just don't see that realistically happening (sorry if you do. You guys' thought on Sam/Six?)**

 **Any thoughts on predictions? I'm open to chatting with you.**


	3. My Date Fails and I Plan a Party

**A/N**

 **Hi again! Three chapters in one hour. I'm on a roll. Enjoy!**

After school, I wait by the bleachers for Maren. A few minutes later, I hear voices.

"Yeah, but now's not really a great time..."

"What? Why? Because of 'personal' stuff, yeah? My guess is, you're still not over Stanley." My ears perk up. Pathetic, yes. I know. But they still did.

"Sam, that's-"

"Hey, Els!" Stanley calls. I suppress a groan. What was Sam talking about with the girl? Stanley jogs up.

"So, I'm sorry about before, but I was thinking we could go get ice cream, or something?" He asks, smirking. Knowing I've forgiven him.

"Stanley, you can't just apologize then ask me out. That's not how it works, " I sigh. Stanley looks confused.

"I didn't mean-"

" I know what you're like, Stanley," I interrupt, then remember the plan. Dang it!

"Ella, I know my reputation and I know what Maren said earlier was true, but...please? You're an actual friend, and that sounded real bad, huh?" He scratches his neck awkwardly.

"Kinda. I'm supposed to be meeting Maren, but after?" I ask.

"Well, I think Maren's a bit busy," Stanley points to where I heard the conversation before. Turns out it was Maren talking to Sam.

"Ya know what? Sure. Let's go," I smile. Stanley grins.

"Malady?" he holds out his arm. I give him a look. His grin widens and he gestures to his arm again. I roll my eyes and take it.

"What do you wanna order?" Stanley asks when we arrive. I look at the cashier.

"Uh, two scoop cookies and cream and mint choc chip in a cone, please," I say.

"I'll take a double chocolate two scoop cone, chocolate dipped, please. And I'm paying for both of them," Stanley says.

"You must really like chocolate," I grin. "Wait...you're not paying for me!" I protest as Stanley hands over the money.

"It would ruin my manliness if I didn't, so just let me," Stanley says. I scoff.

"What ma-"

"Ella?" I spin and see Maren at the entrance to the shop.

"Hi," I smile.

"You weren't at the field," she frowns.

"Neither were you," I point out.

"You're here with him," she looks at Stanley.

"And you were talking to Sam. Sorry, Maren, it looked like you were gonna be a while," I reply.

"It's cool. But him? I thought you had higher standards."

"Oh, it's not like that," we say in sync.

"Alright. Practice tomorrow?"

"How about tonight? Field at seven?" I ask.

"Sure. See you then," Maren replies, and orders her ice cream, then leaves.

"So," I deadpan.

"So. Do you like narwhals?" Stanley asks me. I give him a wtf face. "I mean, I do, they're my second to favourite animal," he continues.

"What's your first?" I ask, seriously amused.

"Sloths," Stanley says. I burst out laughing.

"What? Sloths are awesome. And fluffy, and calm..." Stanley looks hurt. I just laugh harder. My ice cream falls off my cone, and splatters onto the footpath. I can barely breathe, I'm laughing so hard, I'm not even making any noise. I faintly hear Stanley talking to me, when it all becomes so overwhelming, and I pass out.

I open my eyes, and try to speak, but no sound comes out.

"Has she been through anything traumatic lately? High stress levels?" A woman asks. My eyes close again as I listen.

"Um, she did tell me about these really bad nightmares she's been having, and there's some other stuff at school that I think might've been stressing her out," I recognize Adam's voice explaining.

"That would've done it. Your friend has had a laughing attack. Commonly caused by pressure or stress, where the victim wants to let out any feelings they've kept bottled up in one go. It's a very dangerous condition. If it happens again, bring her straight here and ask for Nurse Conan, okay?"

"Sure thing, ma'am. Could we have a minute with Ella?" I don't recognize that voice.

"Sure. Call me if anything happens," the nurse leaves.

"Ella? This isn't funny, you know," Adam says.

"If you don't snap outta this, I'm gonna forever avoid ice cream. And never pay for anyone else's' ever again. You really want that to happen to me?" Stanley questions.

"Ella, you have to wake up, please. We last talked on a bad note, but I'd like to apologize if I did anything to upset you," was that..Marina? Oh thank God, she doesn't hate me!

"You're our teams best midfield, Ella. You can't let us down now," Maren urges. Why the heck are there so many people here?

"Come on, Els! You gotta wake up to sort out your unrequited love!" Drake whisper-yells.

"You better hope no one else heard that, Drake Kent, or you're dead meat," I say loudly, my eyes still closed.

"Only Adam," Drake says happily. I open my eyes, and raise my brows.

"Wait, you're awake! Agh! Guys, she's alive!" He yells. Everyone shakes their heads. I grin at them. I have the dumbest friends, honestly.

"That is the last time I buy you ice cream. Next time, you pay for your own double scoop," Stanley tells me.

"You're implying there'll be another time?" I ask slyly.

"You know it," he winks back. I see Drake and Adam exchange a glance, whisper something, and then nod. They both look back to me.

"Oh no you don't, don't you even dare!" I yell at them. Everyone else looks confused.

"We weren't doing anything," they say innocently, raising their hands. My eyes narrow.

"Ella, what the heck happened?" Myra demands.

"Uh, well.." I let out a small snicker. They look at me, concerned. I roll my eyes and wave my hand.

"What, I'm not allowed to laugh now? Anyway, Stanley was telling me his favourite animal was a sloth, and my ice cream fell off the cone, and...narwhals," I choke out, laughing.

"Sloths. Really, man?" John asks. Stanley scowls.

"They're cool, okay?" He defends. Soon, Stanley's the only one not laughing.

"Meanies," he pouts. Pouts? Wtf? But hey, five of the nine are here, and they're all laughing together, and maybe it'll be alright after all.

"So, I'm thinking, we could throw a party."

"What kind of party?" I ask.

"A fun one! Duh," Drake explains.

"Get them all there, dancing together, play a cliched truth or dare and do 'random generated' ideas," Adam adds.

"It's foolproof," Drake finishes. "Yeah, okay, but where? Cause we don't want the cops, or to trash one of our houses," I say. Drake and Adam look at me like I'm stupid.

"The beach, silly. No ones lives anywhere near it. No cops, no trashed houses," Adam says.

"How we gonna invite them all?" I ask.

"Tell them to call every highschool kid on their contact lists, duh," Drake says.

"You've got us to take care of John's group, you have Maren, Myra, Marina and Stanley's numbers, you text them. They'll text their cliques, and bam, you've got the rebels, scenes, the people with no cliques from both John and Marina's groups, plus all the popular crowd. And they'll be sure to spread the word around," Adam tells me.

"Wait...how do you know I've got all their numbers?" I ask suspiciously. They grin.

"Well, you're like, bffs with Marina, apart from us two, obviously, and you and Myra are pretty friendly, and you always have soccer with Maren, and we heard the day you had that laughing attack, you were out with Stanley..." Drake wiggles his eyebrows. I look at him repulsively.

"So we assume you have his number, too," Adam finishes Drake's thought.

"Okay, cool. So, when is this party gonna happen?" I ask.

"This Saturday," Drake says.

"Why not Friday?" Adam questions.

"Everyone has parties on Friday's. May as well set a new trend," he shrugs.

"So, we'll get food sorted during the afternoon, and we'll go to the privater area so there won't be anyone there. Party starts officially at seven, so we can just stay at the beach until then. Also, at the beach, people can swim and whatnot, so it may be more popular than normal parties. I mean, free food, right? What's not to love?" Drake says. That was...long.

"Cool. So, lets go back to our actual table, cause they're looking at us weirdly," Adam says. We head back to Meredith, as Drake would say.

"What are you guys up to? Starting a threesome?" We all send Daniela a WTF look and sit down, deliberately not next to each other. Drake ends up beside Daniela and Sarah. I laugh at his trapped expression. Suddenly, everyone goes silent. They're looking over my shoulder.

"What's there? A three nosed shark eating pelican tacos?" I ask, turning around. A tall guy who looks partly African stands there.

"Hey, you're Ella, right?" He asks.

"Yeah," I reply.

"Mrs Meese asked me to give you this. It's the homework you missed while you were sick yesterday," he hands a piece of paper to me.

"Thanks...?" I trail off.

"Hannu. And you're welcome," Hannu walks back to his table, bouncing a basketball I didn't realize he'd been holding. The others glared at his retreating back.

"Um...am I missing something here?" I ask stupidly.

"He's one of the nine," Sam whispers dramatically.

"Don't call us that," John says absentmindedly.

"Ah. So, guys, Adam, Drake and I have something to tell you," I say.

"You're having a threesome?" Daniela asks again. Sarah, John and Sam snicker.

"Shut up with that already, Daniela. We're having a party at the beach, Saturday. Be there at seven. Or else," Adam says.

"Text ev- wait, no, that's my role. Nevermind," I say awkwardly.

"Your connections are the only reason we keep you around, I swear," Drake tsks. I scowl.

"I have four peoples numbers. You call that connected?" I retort as I type out a text. Daniela snickers.

"If you think that's connected, what's unconnected? A rock?" She snorts.

"I'll have you know that rocks are very into their duties, thank you very much," Drake defends stubbornly. Then he looks taken aback. "Not that I know that, I mean, cause, uh, its complicated," he scratches his nose.

"That's nearly worse than the that's what she said thing," I snicker. The table glances at me questioningly. Not the actual table, obviously, but the people. Yeah.

"What happened then?" Sarah asks.

"I'll let Drake explain that," I reply. Drake explains the story grudgingly, glaring at me every minute or so. I just smile.

"Well, Myra thought I was someone's boyfriend, so I told her that she wasn't my girlfriend. I might've yelled. Then Ella told her I was in denial, which was partly why we were in the office waiting room, then Myra said that acceptance is just around the corner, and Ella said that earlier, so I told her that's what she said. Amazing story, huh?" Drake finishes sarcastically. The others are all cracking up.

"Who's boyfriend did she think you were?" Daniela asks boredly. That does it. I start laughing even harder, clutching the table for support. Drake gives me a sour look. That, obviously, as you have learnt from my last laughing session, just makes my laughs louder and more maniacal, causing me to roll off of the seat. I crack up on the floor, everyone staring at me.

"Okay," began Sarah, "did anyone else understand any of that?" Everyone shakes their heads except for Drake, who raises his hand and smirks dryly.

"Yeah, I do. And I'm no way explaining it," he says.

"Sorry guys. Anyway, I sent the text, so...yeah," I finish awkwardly.

"I'll see you guys later. I'm out," Drake says, stands up, and walks out of the cafeteria. Since people are still staring at us because of before, everyones eyes are on Drake as he walks out. I hear a few murmurs.

"Hey! Its Daniela's boyfriend!"

"I wish he was single, he's cute!"

"Not to mention smokin' hot!" I skip to the next table, suppressing a shudder at the fangirls.

"What the heck was that psycho girl doing before?"

"Ella? She's cool. Nice and all that."

"Pretty, too." Okayyyy, moving on.

"I dare you to put a chili in your mouth and eat it for ten seconds."

"You're on." Meh, boring. Next table.

"Why isn't Daniela going after her boyfriend?"

"She's such a bitch." I can tell that Daniela hears this comment too, because she stands up, steps onto the bench, and coughs loudly.

"Okay, people. I heard one of you asking why I didn't go after my boyfriend. Three things," she wiggles three of her fingers, "firstly, how is it any of your business? If I have a reason, I have a reason. Secondly, I don't have a boyfriend! Thirdly, even if I did, the last person I would EVER date, in the world, would be Drake Kent! So stop assuming we're together a d get on with your own lives!" Daniela jumps off the seat and sits back down.

"People, jeez," she mutters. She looks up and sees all of us staring at her. "What? I'm sick of people saying we're together when we're clearly not. It's dumb." Still, we stare. "Screw this." Daniela dumps her tray and storms out of the cafeteria.

"Going after her boyfriend?" Sam mutters. Sarah gives him a look.

"I know I normally make fun of them too, but I think this times different," she tells him. Sarah's good like that. She can have fun, but knows when to call it quits, too.

"I sorta started this," I say guiltily.

"It's not your fault, Els. They were bound to explode one day," John says.

"Yeah, but I pushed it too far," I insist.

"Ella Ra, it was not your fault, just leave it at that. He wouldn't be mad at you, anyway. Us three are besties for life, remember?" Adam says sternly.

"Yeah," I say, unconvinced.

"You know what? If you're really so upset about it, then lets go find him," Adam grabs my arm, hauls me off the bench, and drags me out of the cafeteria. The hallways are deserted, and it reminds me of my nightmare. Adam's dark hair and eyes look too much like Cody's. Suddenly, I feel tired, and scared, and I drop to my knees. I'm aware of Adam, talking to me, shaking me, and my last thought before I pass out is 'oh no, not again.'

I feel something like electricity running through my veins. My eyes snap open, and I look around frantically. Adam appears in my line of sight.

"Hey, Els. You feeling okay?" He asks.

"Like I've just hugged the third rail," I reply. He nods.

"Yeah, that's understandable."

"Is anyone else here?"

"No. I didn't want everyone worrying since you got lucky last time..." Adam trails off.

"Was it another laughing attack?" I ask.

"Sort of, but without the laughing. Was it the nightmare again?" He asks. I nod.

"Well, you only missed a half hour of school, and the nurse says you have to go back," Adam grimaces.

"But she did give you this note. If the teachers are hard on you, give them this," he passes a slip of paper to me.

"So its a guaranteed use, then?" I ask, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, Els. Yeah it is." He walks me back to my class, and I take a seat.

"Ella, right?" The guy next to me asks.

"Yeah. I'm guessing you know that from my laughing episode?" I ask sourly.

"Yeah. Pretty hard to miss. I'm Joseph, by the way," he extends his hand, and I shake it. Joseph was one of the nine!

"Okay, don't take this the wrong way, but my friends and I are having this party at the beach on Saturday at seven. You wanna come? You can bring all your friends and whatever," I say.

"Yeah, sure. I'm guessing you mean the privater part of Crystal Bay?" He asks. I nod.

"Cool. See you then, Ella," he says.

"See ya, Joseph." After class, I rethought my options. I only had to invite Maggie, Hannu and Cody. Damn, I shoulda asked Hannu before. I look up, and spot him in the hallway. I'm getting really lucky with this.

"Hey, Hannu!" I call. He turns around.

"Hi, Ella. How you doing?" He asks.

"Good. You wanna come to this party on Saturday at Crystal Bay? It starts at seven, by the privater part. Tell your friends," I tell him, smiling.

"Sure. Bye, Ella!" He calls after me. I wave back. Just Maggie and Cody. The hardest ones yet. Suddenly Adam comes running down the hall. He skids to a stop in front of me.

"I just asked Maggie and Cody. They're coming!" He says.

"Awesome! I've asked the others, so we're all done," I grin.

"Well, that was quick," Adam holds up his hand for a high five. A girl walks up to me.

"Ella, right? Quick question, who are you going out with? And do your guy friends have girlfriends?" She had pulled me away from Adam. I look at her face. She has black hair, a mole above her lip, which is circled in ink with an arrow pointing to a scarlet birth mark.

"Uh, nobody? And as far as I'm aware, none of them are dating at the moment apart from John, who's with Sarah," I tell her, confused. She looks relieved.

"Sorry, one of my friends likes one of your friends, and she wanted to know if he goes out with anyone. Thanks," she says gratefully.

"No problem," I reply.

"I'm Teev. Nice to meet you," I shake her hand.

"Bye, Teev," I shout after her. She yells a farewell back. I go back to Adam.

"Quite the popular one, eh?" He asks. I snort.

"If only you knew," I say, shaking my head.


	4. I Get Dunked Wayyy Too Many Times

**A/N**

 **Yo! I must be insane. Four chapters in one night. Jeez.**

 **So, here it is! Chapter four of Fall for Me? Plus, we meet the character the story is based off! Even though you don't know who it is. Mwa ha ha ha...**

I examine the fold up table. Somehow, I think somethings a little off.

"You sure it's sturdy?" I ask Adam.

"Positive. Drake put it up, right? It'll be fine-" the table collapses just before Adam puts down his plate. He steps back instinctively.

"Like I said, Drake put it up. You never know with him," he raises his hand that's not holding the plate. I roll my eyes.

"Drake!" I shout down the beach. He'd seemed more normal today. Whatever had happened yesterday was long gone.

"What?" He shouts back. I point to the table. He grins sheepishly.

"Well, I was distracted when I put it up. Yeah! By a..." he glances around, trying to find something to pin the blame on, "sandhopper! Yeah! Those little buggers are everywhere nowadays."

"That's because we're on a beach, you dolt. Now come put up this table properly," I yell.

"Sir yes sir! I mean, ma'am yes ma'am" he corrects himself. Boys. I wonder which one of my friends is the one that Teev's friend likes. I feel sorry for her. While Drake sets up the table again, I look at the plates in the boot of Adam's car. We bought all sorts of food, none of us being regular party goers. But we have a pretty good stash.

"Done!" Drake brushes off his hands on his shorts. He grins triumphantly. I smirk, and sit on the table. It holds, surprisingly enough. We load the plates onto it, and sit back, admiring our handiwork. We'd put up tents and stuff, so it was pretty well decked out. I grab a prawn thing, and am about to eat it when Drake plucks it out of my hand.

"Uh uh uh. No eating til the party starts," he pops it in his mouth. I gape. He sees my expression, and smirks.

"Well, I couldn't really have put it back since I'd touched it," he reasons. I scoff.

"Mmm, that was good," he rubs his stomach, eyes on me. I huff, and turn to Adam disbelievingly. He just looks at me like, believe it, sister, cause you're stuck with it. I stuck out my tongue, and went to sit on a rock, my feet dangling in the water. The boys come and sit beside me.

"I can't believe I only started here two months ago," I say.

"Yeah. It seems like so long, can't get away from you anymore," Adam jokes. I punch his arm.

"Ow!" Drake laughs. I punch his arm, too.

"Ow!" He squeals in a girly voice. I snicker. I hear voices down the beach, and glance in that direction.

"Time to get this party started."

It's about an hour in. The music's crazy loud, and pretty much everyone's dancing. I'm on my way back from the food table when I see Stanley.

"Great party, El!" He yells over the music. I nod back, and register that he's wet.

"You been swimming?" I ask.

"Yeah. You going to?" He asks. I shake my head.

"Are you sure about that?" I see a gleam in his eyes.

"What...oh, no, don't you dare-" I back away from his outstretched arms.

"C'mon, El, give your friend a hug," Stanley smirks. I'm about to run when someone shoves me as they're trying to get past. I think I hear a faint 'sorry'. Stanley grins and wraps his arms around me. I make a shrieking noise. When he pulls away, I'm sopping wet. How he even manages to do that with one hug is beyond me.

"You will pay!" I yell, running at him. He sprints back into the water, where his friends are wrestling. I hesitate at the edge.

"Screw it, I'm wet anyway," I say, then dive under. I come up and wipe water from my eyes, then look around. I see Stanley with his back turned, talking to one of his friends. I sneak closer, soundless. His friend sees me, and I hold a finger to my lips. He claps Stanley on the shoulder.

"So, how'd it go? You get that girl?" He asks

"Huh, yeah, I-" I lunge, pushing him under the water. I high five his friend.

"Ella," I say, sticking my hand out.

"Nolan. Nice doing business with you," he smirks. I realize Stanley hasn't cone up yet.

"Where's Stanley?" I panic.

"I dunno," says Nolan, looking around.

"Looking for me?" Stanley says from behind me. I spin, and Stanley lifts me over his shoulder.

"Hey! Can I help?" Drake and Adam rush down to the water. They wade in, and look hopefully at Stanley.

"You grab her legs, you get her back, and I'll take her arms. On three?"

"And a one and a two-" they throw me in. I hit the water, shrieking. I glare at them, water dripping down my face. I must look murderous.

"So, uh, hey- run!" Drake screams. I dive at him, tackling him under. He comes up, and spits.

"Lets get Adam," he says. I nod, grinning. We turn in unison to him. He waves. As one, we run at him, leaping in mid-air and twisting around like the true ninjas we are. Adam ducks under, and we land on top of him.

"Ow...that was a bad idea," he grumbles. Drake and I laugh.

"Hey, Nolan?" I ask innocently.

"Yeah?" he asks, looking at me.

"Where'd your other friends go?" Nolan grins.

"Well, you see-" he makes a sweeping gesture with his hand. Stanley and three other guys emerge from the water.

"Is it just me, or was that seriously creepy?" Adam asks.

"Not just you," I reply, holding up my hands.

"You guys just looked like that mud monster in Scooby Doo," Drake says seriously. He's not even joking, I don't think. Adam and I lose it, and bend over, laughing at him. The Enemy takes their chance, and start to close in on us. I glance around for an escape. Nolan joins their circle.

"Nolan! How could you?" I call, stalling. No use. They wade closer. So I do the unexpected. I splash Nolan and Stanley in the face. I would've splashed the others too, but they weren't in front of me.

"Hey, Ella, you get Stanley with your friends, and us three will get Nolan. Go!" A guy I didn't know says to me. I nod, and rush at Stanley, yelling at Drake and Adam as I go. They follow me, and leap at him. We dunk him, and trap him so he cant move.

"We got him!" I yell to the others, who have successfully pinned Nolan. His brown hair is stuck to the top of his head.

"So not funny," he mutters.

"I'm Matthew, by the way. Call me Matt," Matt says. He points to the other two.

"This one here is Damien. The other one is my idiot twin, David," he gestures to them each in turn.

"Hey!" David says. I compare them. Same dark brown hair, same pale-ish, a few freckles over the noses, and the same light brown eyes. Hmm. Damien looks a bit like Drake, but with slightly lighter blonde hair, no freckles and tanner skin. I glance between them.

"Are you two related?" I question.

"Nope. Never met him in my life," Drake says. I gape.

"What?" he asks.

"That's probably the most normal thing you've said in your life," I close my jaw. Drake rolls his eyes while Adam chuckles.

"It is not-"

"Need I remind you of the 'that's wha-"

"Will you quit bringing that up?" Drake interrupts.

"Nope," I say, popping the p.

"Hey, you're the one that Daniela had a fit over," Damien calls over.

"Huh?" Drake asks, confused. I roll my eyes.

"Yeah, he is. But he doesn't know since he, you know, walked out before it happened," Adam explains.

"What did happen?" Drake asks.

"I'll tell you later," I reply. He nods.

"Hey, I'm gonna go get something to eat. And then, we'll let the games begin," Adam says evilly. I back away.

"You sounded genuinely evil just then," I tell him. He just smiles. We spend another hour in the water before we get out. Stanley's friends are pretty cool. Matt and David are sorta like Drake, but more...open with their pranking, let's say.

"Okay, we're gonna play truth or dare, but we're doing it in ten groups, since there's heaps of us here. So...we're gonna draw names out of a hat. You all did that when you came in, so that wont be a problem. I'll call out the groups," Adam picks up the hat. We'd been through the names and put highlighter on the backs of the nine. Drake pulled out 20 names. And I guess we somehow got pretty lucky with our group.

"Maggie, Cody, Diane, Beth, Maren, Ella, David, Drake, Myra, Liam, Stanley, Hannu, Matt, John, Teev, Damien, Marina, Joseph, Avril and Daniela," Adam reads out. I hear Drake grumble something when he hears Daniela's name. I grin. Our group gathers in a huddle while Adam continues to call out names.

"So, do we wanna do randomly generated or our own? Or both, so you can choose?" I ask. We decide on both. I sit down next to Drake and Damien. Silence.

"Who wants to start?" Drake gets the bundle of names.

"Okay, I'll pick one. Uh...Matt," he reads. Matt looks around the circle.

"Okay, I'm gonna say...you! Uh...Myra?" he raises his eyebrows. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare," Myra says without hesitation.

"Okay, uh...I'm using the generator, I'm stumped," he clicks the button and snorts.

"Okay. Blindfold the person and choose a random person from the circle. You have to swap clothes with them for the rest of the game," Matt says.

"Uh, okay," Myra ties her hoodie around her face, and steps into the middle of the circle. She spins around and points to someone. She opens her eyes.

"Cody," she says. "Guess we're switching clothes."

"Great," Cody mumbles. They head toward the bathrooms. When they come back, it's hilarious. Cody is squeezed into Myra's blue tank top and white short shorts. Myra on the other hand is wearing baggy black jeans, and a brown t-shirt, which is wayyy too loose on her. Everyone laughs at them. Cody is scowling, but a smile is fighting it's way onto his face.

"Your clothes are really comfy," Myra says.

"Ooh, who to pick, who to pick...Damien!" she points to the blonde boy next to me. Uh, one of the blonde boys next to me.

"Random generator please!" she says. Once Matt passes it to her, she clicks the button and waits.

"Hey, you didn't ask-"

"Truth or dare?" Myra asks pointedly.

"Dare," he replies.

"Thought so," Myra reads the dare and laughs.

"Touch your tongue to your nose. If you can't, you have to do it to the person to your left." I stand up, push Drake to the side, and switch places with him. Everyone except Drake and Damien laugh. They look at each other, mortified.

"You better be able to do this," Drake threatens.

"I hope so too, man." Damien reaches up with his tongue. He can't reach it. He swears under his breath.

"Lick up, Blondie!" Myra calls. Damien winces, before quickly touching his tongue to Drake's nose.

"Oh my God, my nose!"

"Oh my God, my tongue!" They say in unison. I crack up.

"You find this so funny, Ella? Truth or dare?" Damien asks. I gulp.

"Uh...you're gonna come up with a crappy dare, so truth," I answer nervously.

"Alright...generator please!" he holds out his hands. He smirks.

"If you had to date one of the people sitting beside you, which one would it be?" he asks.

"Does it actually say that?" I lean over. It does.

"Easy. Damien, because Drake already has a girlfriend," Drake makes a hissing sound. "Oops, sorry, Drake _should_ have a girlfriend but he's too much of a wimp to ask her out." The people who understand who I'm talking about laugh.

"Okay...you. Girl with the scary light blonde hair. Avril? Okay. Truth or dare?" I ask.

"Dare," she grins.

"Okay..." I hit the button.

"Put lipstick on another player without using your hands," I read. Drake held out the hat to me.

"Pick a name, any name," he says. I reach in and take one out. David. I laugh.

"You. You're getting lipsticked," I say. He groans. Avril takes out a bright red lipstick, and puts it in between her teeth. David leans back as she leans in.

"You gotta let her do it, bro!" Matt yells.

"Easy for you to say," David grumbles. Avril puts the lipstick on David, albeit slightly smudged. David scowls.

"You look pwetty," Damien squeals.

"Okay, uh...you. Other blondie beside Ella. Truth or dare?"

"Dare," Drake grins. I smile at his over-confidentness.

"Stand blindfolded in the middle of the circle. Select another player randomly to slow dance with. Try guess who they are," Avril reads out. Damien holds up the hat to me. I exchange a glance with Myra, and grin. Drake stands in the middle with a shirt around his head. I pluck out a name.

"Is Ella picking?" Drake asks.

"Yeah," I answer.

"Someone else pick. I know what she's going to do," Drake says. I scowl and put the name back in.

"I actually got that name though," I sigh.

"Well too bad. I know who it was anyway."

"Pick one," I say to Damien. He does, then snickers quietly, so Drake can't hear. He shows me the name. I stifle a snort. Stanley. Oh, this'll be hilarious. I point at him. He points to himself, and makes a 'seriously' face. I grin and nod. He stands up, then goes over to Drake.

"Okay, anonymous player, put your arms around Drake's neck," Damien says. Stanley shoots him a glance, but he does so.

"Drake, put your arms around the players waist. You might have to feel for it..." Damien trails off. Drake does so grudgingly.

"Step forward, step back, you know the drill," he finishes. By now, everyone's laughing.

"Uh, is it..." Drake puts his hand on Stanley's head. Well, I think that's what he meant to do. He ended up hitting him in the face.

"Oops, sorry," he felt Stanley's head. "Longish hair...uh, is it Maren?" he asks. I do snort this time. Maren looks defiant.

"Hell no!" she says, disgusted. Maren and Stanley do look quite different. I mean, same black hair, but...that's where the similarities end. Stanley's way bigger than Maren. Well, not way, but reasonably.

"Uh, okay. The fact that she said hell no makes me think it's a boy...oh! What's his name...Joseph!" Drake exclaims. The group chuckles. Joseph is like the skinniest person ever. And next to Stanley, whose all broad shoulders and stuff, it's pretty funny.

"Um, no," he says.

"Okay, it's...who else has long hair? Uh, um..." Drake pauses to think. Suddenly a sly smirk graces his face. He seems to look straight at me.

"Oh! How did I not guess it before? Ella!"

"Uh, nope," I raise my eyebrows. Everyone's laughing even harder now.

"Nah, Els. You're tiny as whatever. It's Stanley," Drake says. No hesitation. No questions.

"Oh thank fucking God," Stanley steps away from Drake. Drake who offended.

"Hey, I'm not that bad, am I?"

"Yes. Yes you are," I reply shortly.

"But-but-you're my bestie! You're not supposed to say that!" he protests. I grin.

"I dunno, recently I've been favouring Adam," I tell him. And, get this, I snuck a glance at Myra, and her smile faltered for a second. Through the chuckles, I hear Drake thinking.

"I would choose you, but since you've already been..." he murmurs to me.

"Thank God for that, you might've-" Drake looks around the circle.

"Stanley! Truth or dare?" he calls.

"Dare," Stanley says without hesitation. Am I the only one that's gonna choose truth? Drake grins. Oh no. He isn't. He wouldn't.

"Generator, Avril?" Avril hands it over. Oh good. He's using that. He clicks, and immediately his smirk returns.

"What's your favourite number?" Drake asks, still looking down at the screen.

"Nine. Why?" Stanley answers.

"Spend the next round on the ninth person to your rights lap," Drake reads. He counts out nine people. His finger ends up on me.

"What the heck? He'll crush me!" I protest. What annoys me is that Drake didn't even rig it. The others are laughing. I glare at them all.

"Yeah, then, maybe you'll have deformed legs by the end of this round. It is only for the next round anyway," Drake reasons.

"Whatever. Just don't squash me," I tell Stanley. He smirks.

"Nah, I've done this before. Just usually it's the other way around," he says.

"TMI," I mutter loudly. I turn to Drake.

"I'm not allowed to back out, huh?"

"Nope," he replies, grinning. Stanley comes over.

"Wait," I adjust my legs so they won't get smushed. "Go for it," I sigh. Why is everyone finding this so funny? I meet Maren's eyes, and she winks. I give her a wtf face. Oh, that's right. she saw us at the ice cream shop. My scowl deepens. Stanley sits down, and wriggles to get comfy.

"Don't do that!" I squeak. He stops.

"Comfy," he observes.

"Okay, who do I pick?" he lazily looks around the circle.

"Hurry the heck up!" I hit his back. He turns back to me.

"Sorry, what?" he asks, smirking. I fold my arms.

"So...Maren. Truth or dare?" Stanley asks. I remember that he probably still likes her. And might be pretending to like me? He is a player after all. Or so everyone says.

"Dare," she replies coolly.

"Okay, generator?" Stanley asks Drake, leaning back over me to grab it.

"Hey!" I yell.

"Maren, you will be doing...skip backwards around the circle while singing your least favourite song," Stanley reads. Maren stands up.

"I apologize in advance for the safety of your ears," she says, before starting to skip. She's singing some One Direction song, I think. No idea which one.

"Then baby I'm perfect! Baby I'm perfect for you! So lets start right now," she finishes, bowing. We all clap.

"That was actually pretty good," Myra muses.

"Eh. I dunno. Anyway...Johnny boy! Truth or dare?" Maren asks.

"Uhm, truth?" He asks.

"Generator!" Stanley passes it to her. Maren gives me a knowing look before pressing the button. What?

"Okay, who would you dump Sarah for?" She asks.

"Megan Fox," he replies.

"Do all guys have an obsession with her or something?" Myra asks.

"Yep. Pretty much. Okay...Maggie. Truth or dare?"

"Dare," she says quietly, surprising me.

"Okeydokey...share a shirt with the person to your right for the next three rounds. Which would be Avril." I snicker. Avril's wearing a white tank top which isn't too tight, really, but for two people to fit into it? Maggie has on a red t shirt, which might fit both of them. I look around Stanley to see their reaction. Wait a minute...

"STANLEY YOU ARE SO DEAD!" I scream, punching his back. He starts cracking up.

"Ay! No, don't do that, you're crushing my legs!"

"You didn't notice all that time, El?" He asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Shut up," I mutter. He doesn't move.

"Well, I'm rather comfy, so I'm staying right here," he puts his hands behind his head.

"Damien, Drake, help me get him off!" I say to the people beside me. They just laugh and shake their heads. I scowl. Avril and Maggie have returned, both squeezed into the red t-shirt. Lucky they're both thin. We continued like that for about another hour, and we started the bonfire. It was awesome. I wander around, and see Daniela on the edge with her jaw clenched. I follow her line of sight. She's watching Drake, who's slow dancing with Avril.

"You care about that, huh?" I ask her. She turns to me.

"Avril's my second cousin. I hate her. She's rude to me all the time. If she ends up dating him, she'd be sitting with us. Plus, those two are like my enemies. Them teamed up? Total hell," she replies. I can tell she's telling the truth.

"You know, I always thought you two secretly liked each other," I tell her.

"I dunno about him, but I hope not. What I said the other day is true, he's the last guy I'd ever dream of dating," she says. Wow.

"Do you like anyone?"

"Ha, the guys at our school? Nope. Dating just means limited freedom, and I have limited freedom enough already," she replies.

"Well, see ya round. And lay off on the glaring, people may think you're jealous," I say, and head off. I see John and Stanley chatting by the fire. I take a seat away from them on a log.

"Hey. You look lonely," Nolan and Damien sit next to me. I shrug.

"Hey, the plan worked, I guess," I sigh. It did. They're all talking in a corner, laughing and dancing. Nolan follows my gaze.

"You were trying to get them back together," he says. I nod.

"Well, good job. Heaps of other people tried," Damien tells me.

"So, like I said, you look lonely. And kinda depressed. So you're coming with us," Nolan and Damien each grab one of my arms.

"Hey! Where are we going?" I laugh. They don't answer, and continue yo pull me toward the dance floor. Oh God.

"I don't dance," I say.

"You do now," Damien replies. Nolan and him link arms and start doing a bad version of the can can. I laugh. Nolan looks at me.

"Come on, El. Loosen up a bit!" He yells over the music. I shake my head, and link my arms through theirs. Since we're in a circle, we keep banging feet.

"Why are you guys doing this?" I shout.

"You're the newest edition to the group. This is a tradition," Damien calls back.

"What? Dancing badly?" I shoot back.

"Yeah. Something like that," he replies. The song changes to a slower one.

"How's this gonna work?" Nolan pauses. An 'aha' expression appears on his face.

"Okay, put your left arm around the persons shoulder on that side, then put your right arm on the persons waist," by the time we'd positioned ourselves correctly, it was halfway through the song. We swayed like slow dancers normally do.

"Hey! Can I join?" Matt appears from nowhere. We let him in the circle. I realize I haven't seen Adam in a while. I excuse myself from the dance square at the end of the song and scan the beach. He's sitting on the rock we were on before the party started.

"How you doing?" I ask. He looks at me.

"Just...lonely, I guess," he shrugs.

"This is what I did before. You're coming with me," I pull him up. I start dragging him toward the dance floor.

"What? I don't dance!" He tries to back away.

"That's what I said," I reply. It's a slow song.

"You know how to do this, right?"

"You put your arms around each other then sway?" He asks.

"Eh, guess so," I say, doing what we did before. But with less people.

"So, is this a part of a plan to get your crush jealous?" Adam asks.

"Nope. Just enjoying it," I say.

"Yo everyone! This is gonna be the last slow song, so pick your partners carefully!" Someone yells.

"Are you gonna do it?" I ask Adam.

"Are you?" He quirks a brow.

"Hell no. He's already got a partner," I jerk my head toward Stanley and Maren. She didn't reject him, surprise.

"Well, mines got a boyfriend, so I'm gonna stay away to avoid being beat up," Adam reasons. I'm about to ask him something else when I feel a tap on my shoulder.

"Don't have partners?" Myra asks, with Nolan beside her. We shake our heads.

"My boyfriend ditched. Wanna swap boys for this?" She asks me.

"Yeah, sure," I reply, hiding my smile. Myra and Adam walk off.

"So," I say.

"So," Nolan says back. Suddenly my grin breaks.

"Woah. You that happy to be dancing with me? Does little Ella fancy me?" He asks jokingly.

"Psh, no. Adam and Myra!" I whisper theclast part. Nolan looks confused.

"Adam and Myra?" He asks loudly.

"Shh! Yes! Adam likes her! Don't tell anyone else that though, or he'll kill me," I add. He nods furtively.

"Alrighty. So, no one special you wanna dance with?" He asks.

"Uh, no," I say quickly. He raises a brow, but doesnt ask.

"What about you?" I ask him. He shrugs.

"Nah, not really. I mean, I get around a bit but I don't go as far as some of the others, so I've never really had a real relationship..." he trails off.

"Trying to find the one?" I ask dramatically. He chuckles.

"Yeah. Something like that," he says, staring into the distance. We're standing right by the ocean. I have an idea.

"Nolan, do you like tomatoes?" I ask. He looks at me.

"What?"

"Do you like tomatoes?" I question again.

"Uh, I guess so. They're pretty cool," Nolan says slowly.

"They're slow," I insist.

"Are they?" He asks, amused.

"Yeah. They can never ketchup," I finish. Nolan stares. And stares. And stares. Then bursts out laughing. While he's bent over, I push him to the side. He rolls down the sand and into the water. It's the most hilarious thing. Nolan sits up and shakes his head.

"Good doggy!" I call. He turns his blue grey stare to me. He looks seriously evil.

"Uh, um...stay?" I call uncertainly. In response he gets up.

"Uh oh," I turn tail and flee down the beach. I weave my way into the middle of the dance floor.

"Phew," I sigh.

"Boo," I turn around and see Nolan. He lifts me over his shoulder easily. I pound on his back.

"Let me down!" I shout.

"Yeaahhhh, not likely," he replies, wading into the water.

"I've already been thrown in!" I insist.

"Not by me," he drops me into the water. I cough. Pretend to choke.

"Holy crap, are you okay?" Nolan runs a hand through his hair and kneels beside me. I continue coughing for a second, before grinning evilly and dunking his head under.

"I did not expect that," he spits. I edge away.

"Scared of a bit of spit?" He spits into his hand, then waves it in my face.

"I...have to go!" I sprint toward the food table, and grab a prawn. No Drake to steal it from me now.

"Mm, good," Nolan pops one into his mouth the same time I do. Thank God he didn't steal it. I've had enough deja vu for tonight. Where is Drake, anyway? Usually he's pestering me about something or other. But not tonight. Probably dancing with Avril. I scan the crowd, and confirm my suspicions.

"Doesn't he like Daniela?" Nolan frowns.

"Did you miss her whole episode yesterday in the cafeteria?" I gape.

"No, no. I saw that, but...I just thought he liked her. That's all," he clarifies.

"Well, I guess you never know with Drake. And I'm his best friend. I'd know," I reply.

"Howsabout we go join the twins? Plus this plate," Nolan grabs the prawns. I roll my eyes. Boys and food.

"Sure." We walk over to the twins, who are sitting on a log by the fire.

"We come with food." They immediately perk up. Jeez.

"You guys enjoying the party?" I ask, sitting down next to Matt.

"You're wet," he says, inching away from me. Nolan sits beside David.

"So are you," David complains.

"What were you two doing?" They ask suspiciously.

"Ask her. She pushed me in," Nolan grumbles.

"You dropped me in," I shoot back.

"You dunked me!" He returns.

"What _ever_ , Nolan," I say in a girly voice, flipping my hair over my shoulder.

"What _ever_ , Ella," Nolan mimics, but without the hair flipping. Instead, he tosses his head to the side.

"You're such a girl," David tsks.

"You're such a copycat," Matt shakes his head. Nolan gapes.

"You're the bloody twin!" He retorts. Then looks curious.

"What was that noise?" He asks.

"Um, a branch snapping?" I answer. Nolan stands up, and walks over to where the noise came from. He comes back.

"Woah. That happened fast," he says, and sits back down.

"What? What was there?" I demand. He just shakes his head and points. I creep over, and peer behind the tree. Drake and Avril are there. And they're not doing much talking. I head back to the others, shocked. I sit down.

"Dibs not telling Daniela," I mutter.

"I thought she hated him?" Nolan questions.

"She does. She also hates Avril, which is why she doesn't want them together," I explain.

"That's deep," Matt nods solemnly. I smack him in the head.

"Oh yeah. So deep," David nods too. I smack him as well. I turn to Nolan.

"Anything to add?" He holds up his palms.

"I'm good."

 **I apologize for the swearing, even if it's not that much. But, that's what the T ratings for, right?**


	5. I'm Depressed, Can't You Tell?

**A/N**

 **This is the second to last chapter before the incident! Yippee!**

 **So, enjoy!**

"Ugh. I'm tired," I yawn. Adam and I had stayed the night so we could pack up this morning. A few other people were passed out across the sand.

"Where's Drake when you need him?" Adam complains.

"Someone called?" Drake walks over, rubbing his eyes. "Ugh, I'm exhausted." I glance at Adam. Then I slap my hand to my mouth.

"Uh, Ella? You okay?" He asks.

"The latest news! You haven't heard!"

"What latest news?" Drake and Adam ask in sync.

"Drake's new girlfriend," I say smugly.

"For the last time, Da-"

"I don't mean Daniela," I interrupt. "I mean Avril."

"You, uh, saw that, huh?" Drake asks, scratching his neck.

"What the heck are you talking about?" Adam demands.

"I didn't ask her out," Drake says.

"Just a kiss and ditch sorta thing, then?" I question.

"No, it's..." Drake trails off.

"Complicated?" I finish.

"Yeah," he mumbles.

"Congrats man," Adam says.

"Adam, say dibs not," I say quickly.

"Dibs not," he says. "Why?"

"You're telling Daniela," I say to Drake.

"Why would she care?" He asks harshly.

"Avril's her second cousin. Really rude to her, apparently. You dating means her sitting at our table, and yeah," I explain.

"Well she can suck it up and deal with it," Drake says irritably.

"Dude, you gotta tell her. She went off at everyone on Friday cause of you," Adam says.

"What happened then? You said you'd tell me," Drake asks.

"People were saying...stuff after you walked out, and one comment just got to her, about you two being a couple. So she told everyone how you weren't dating and you were the last person she'd ever date. Then she stormed out too," I finish.

"She really did that?"

"Yeah. She was beyond pissed," Adam puts in.

"Well, she can get used to it. I'm not living my life around her," Drake says firmly.

"You keep telling yourself that," Adam says, unsure.

It was the Thursday after the party. I was currently in math class. Drake was working with Avril, of course, leaving me to fend for myself. I watch as he throws something at her. Like he did with me. I'd barely seen or heard from Drake since the party, which was odd. Ms Carpin sent them to detention. Just like she had with us. Oh God, this is becoming too much. Way too much.

"I need to go to the bathroom," I say, standing up. Ms Carpin looks at me, and I think I see...understanding in her eyes. Sympathy.

"Here's a pass," she hands me a slip. I thank her, and walk out, students gaping at Ms Carpin's niceness. I lean over the sink. I feel...sick, sort of. I hear the door open.

"Hey," Marina says. I haven't talked to her in ages!

"How are you feeling?" She asks gently.

"Like crap," I say, smiling weakly.

"I saw you. You feel like he's replacing you," she says. I nod.

"She's his girlfriend. Or will be soon, anyway. Most likely. You're his best friend. Avril can't replace that."

"I know. It's just...he's been sitting with her since the party, and has barely talked to me, and its kinda scary that I might be losing him," I sob. The tears are falling now. I know I shouldn't cry, but I do. It feels...good, in a way.

"Well, look on the bright side. You've gotten pretty close with Nolan and the twins," she smiles. "Maybe even closer?"

"Marina!" I groan. Even though I hadn't gotten over my weird crush on Stanley, Marina still thinks somethings going on with the others.

"So, is it true?"

"No!" I protest. She simply winks. My phone buzzes. Message from David. Where'd you go? And why the hell was Ms Catnip _nice_ to you? I smile. Marina leans over my shoulder. I reply. 'In the bathroom. Not feeling great. And I have no idea'.

"Well, see you at lunch. Make the most of what you've got now. Don't dwell on the past. If he really is your friend, he'll make an effort and come back."

I stride into the cafeteria. The groups are more spread out now. I pretty much sit with everyone. I place my tray beside Matt and Nolan.

"Hey! What was that in class before?" David asks.

"I seriously have no idea. Ms Carpin, nice? I musta been dreaming," I reply.

"I saw it too. It was creepy," he says. Damien nods.

"I heard. So Ella-" A high pitched squeal cuts Nolan off. I see Avril scowling at her friend, who was obviously the one who squealed.

"Now everyone will know," she grumbles.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so excited!"

"I should be the excited one, B," she replies. Feeling everyone's eyes on her, she calls, "Go back to talking. Nothings happened!" Her friend huffs.

"Nothing happened? No, only I find out that you've been dating Drake for days and you haven't told me!" And that's when it goes silent.

"And this is why I didn't tell you," Avril mutters.

"Shite," Nolan mutters under his breath.

"You can say that again," I murmur. So it's official. Drake and Avril are dating. Hell is gonna go down. I lock eyes with Adam, who's sitting on the other side of Drake. He waves. I wave back. He leans over to Drake. I can barely hear what he's saying, but I do. I guess I gave good hearing.

"You remember that pact we made? Mates before dates?"

"Yeah. Why?" Drake says.

"I was just wondering why Avril sitting right there beside you, and Ella all the way over there," he points to where I'm sitting. I turn my gaze to Nolan. I look up when I feel him looking at me. I give a small smile before looking back down.

"Well, I sorta have to sit with Avril now," Drake says uncertainly.

"Yeah, well you can sit with both of them," Adam reasons.

"Why is he doing this?" I groan. The others look up.

"Who's doing what?" They ask in unison. My eyebrows raise.

"Adam's trying to guilt trip Drake," I answer.

"Just text him, then," David offers. I pull out my phone and bring up my contact list. I type out a text: 'I know what your doing, stop it!' He sends back: 'I thought you wanted to be friends again?'

"This isn't helping. I'll be right back, guys," I say, standing up. I walk across the cafeteria, latch my hand around Adam's arm, and drag him to an empty table.

"Are you saying we aren't friends anymore?" I question.

"No. I'm saying that he hasn't really been talking to you. Or me either, really, but at least I still sit with him," Adam replies.

"I'm fine sitting with them," I point over to the twins, Damien and Nolan. "Or I can sit with Marina, or Myra, or Sarah and John. I have other friends, too."

"I know. I heard you left class today. Went to the bathroom. Nolan said it was a bit after Drake and Avril got detention. Anyone else? They wouldn't figure it out. Me being one of your best friends? I know better. What happened, El?" He asks.

"Well, him and I got detention once, in the same class, for talking and throwing stuff at each other. And that's what they got sent there for, and it kinda felt like he was replacing me," I tell him. He nods.

"Go back to tour table. I'm sorting this out," he says, striding over to Drake's table. I take my seat next to Matt again.

"What was that all about?" He asks.

"I dunno, but I'm pretty sure it's about to become worse." I watch as Adam pulls Drake over to the table I was previously at. Only a whole lot more rough. I hear them talking quietly. They occasionally send glances at me.

"She's only got them because you aren't there for her!" Adam yells. Well, not really yells, more like loud talking. But it was enough to make most of the cafeteria hear. Adam storms out. Drake just sits there, looking confused. I rest my head in my hands.

"Crap. Crap crap crap," I mutter.

"You know what that was?" Nolan asks. I know he knows I do.

"You know I do," I say miserably. He raises a questioning eyebrow.

"Adam went off at him cause he's sorta not talking to us," I explain.

"Well, we can't have ickle Els being sad. Group hug!" Damien exclaims. We just stare at him.

"Oh come on, you guys," he whines. We laugh at him, but oblige. We sort of have to reach over awkwardly, since Damien and David are on the other side of the table. But we manage it.

"Thanks, guys," I murmur.

"Oh, but were not done yet," Matt bounces on his chair.

"We're skipping next class," Nolan clarifies.

"What? No, we're not," I say.

"You two, right. Matt, you and me take the left," he orders. Whaaa?

"Now!" They come at me, and grab my arms. They start to pull me out of the cafeteria.

"You cant _force_ me to leave school," I say. "That's unethical."

"I don't know what that means, but no, its not," Damien replies.

"Fine. Whatever. Where are we going?" I ask. They grin.

"To have fun."


	6. Reason 1 Why You Shouldn't Skip School

**A/N**

 **So this is gonna be really short, but I'll try post again today.**

 **This is where everything...** ** _falls_** **into place, you could say. You'll all probably think I'm evil for making that pun, but whatevs.**

 **Enjoy!**

Turns out, they're idea of fun is pretty awesome. Thrilling. Okay, it's pretty damn scary. At the moment, we're scaling a building. Well, it has a ladder, but it's one of those 40 stories high type buildings. I don't know why these guys do this for fun. Nolan, Damien, and David are underneath me. Matt's leading the way above me. When Matt stands up, I grab the top rung, and hurl myself onto the top. I am never going anywhere near that ladder ever again. The boys promised another way down. I just hope it's easier. The others behind me have reached the top. I look back at them.

"That is the scariest thing I have ever done. I am never doing that again," I tell them. Nolan points behind me.

"Look." I turn. And gape. The view. Is. Amazing! The lake looks like a puddle from up here. Mountains and trees are spread out before me, along with dozens and dozens of buildings.

"Forget that. When are we gonna come back?" I say in awe.

"You're the fifteenth person to come up here, I think," Damien says.

"Yeah? Who was the first?"

"Myra. That was way back," Damien says.

"What are you guys?" I ask.

"Ten, eleven, twelve, and thirteen," he points to himself, then Nolan, then David, and lastly, Matt.

"So, how do we get down? Crap, I lost my hair tie!" My hair tie had blown out, and now my hair is being tossed around like nobodys business. I push it behind my ears. It frees itself. Dang.

"I have a rubber band if you wanna use that?" Matt offers. I look at him.

"You know that's literally the most painful thing you can do to a girl-"

"Do you have better options? You're gonna need clear vision for the next step," he says. I sigh and take it. I pull it around my hair, wincing.

"This better be worth it," I grumble. David claps his hands together.

"Roof jumping," he says cheerfully. "What fun."

"ROOF JUMPING?" I shout.

"Uh, yeah. You just leap from one roof to the next. Pretty easy, really," Nolan scratches his neck.

"I should kill you," I mutter, before stepping over to the edge of the roof.

"So, what, just leap and hope to God you don't get blown off?" I ask.

"Pretty much," Matt nods.

"I'm not going first," I say, crossing my arms.

"C'mon, it's easy. You jump, bend your knees. Like so-" Nolan jumps. I scream. I watch as he crouches in midair, and lands perfectly on the next roof. It's about two metres down.

"Come on, Ella. Man up," David says good-naturedly.

"I am a girl. I'm not supposed to man up," I retort.

"Just jump! I'll catch you if you want!" Nolan yells up. I consider.

"Oh what the hell." I leap into the air. My arms cartwheel as I try to copy Nolan's crouch. I do, and my feet hit the group. I brush myself off, grinning.

"I am such a wuss," I say.

"Nah," Nolan says. We exchange a glance. "Maybe." The others have all already jumped. I run up to the next ledge, ready to jump. Then I see it isn't a roof down below, but air. Nothingness. I cant stop, and I slip over the edge. I hear swearing from above. I look down. It's about a ten metre drop, maybe more. I cant survive this. I cross my fingers, and look up to the sky. Please, God, I know I never really believed in you, but please, if you save me, I will do whatever it takes. I close my eyes. Just, please, help me out of this now.

"Open your eyes!" I hear a yell. I do so, and see Nolan there, falling beside me. He must be falling faster since he weighs more.

"Why did you jump?!" I scream at him. He shrugs, then grabs my arm and pulls me onto his back. He braces, positions his feet, and looks back at me.

"In case I don't survive this," he begins. "Tell Matt he can't have my PS3."

"What if I don't survive?"

"Then...you're a bet." And then he turns his head to face me and kisses me. Then, life hating me as much as it does, we hit. I can feel some of Nolan's impact, and I bounce away from him. He falls to the side. I bounce again, my head snapping against his back, then fall off onto the concrete, landing on my knees. I hear a sharp cracking sound. I try to move, but it hurts too much. If it hurts this much for me, Nolan must be near death. He did take pretty much all the impact, and with me weighing him down. I try raising my head, but I can't. It hurts. I cant take it. My last thought is; what was Nolan about to tell me? And then I pass out.

 **Ah, cliffhangers. Gotta love 'em!**

 **And I can assure you that you won't find out about aforementioned bet until quite a while.**

 **Signing out,**

 **HV**


	7. Don't Wake Up With Amnesia, It Sucks

**A/N**

 **Annnd we're back to the long, gruelling chapters! Yippee!**

 **I don't actually know if you would survive from falling ten metres, but let's just say what I've written is accurate, mkay?**

I wake up to a steady beating. I remember this from the last time I was here. I can remember. That's a good sign. How did I end up here? That part is blurred.

"How did I end up in here?" I voice aloud, opening my eyes. My father, Crayton, is the only one in here, along with a nurse.

"You fell from approximately ten metres, off a building. You slipped, apparently, and one of your friends jumped after you. He managed to direct you onto his back, and he landed first. He absorbed mostly all of the impact. You took a bit, but not enough to do any major damage. You may have slight memory loss of the event. Your friends brought you two in. Would you like to see them?" She explains.

"In a few minutes. Could I speak to my father in private, please?" I ask. She nods and leaves, the door clicking softly behind her. Crayton runs over and hugs me.

"I thought I lost you, El," he says. Then it hits me.

"Oh my God, which friend jumped after me?" I exclaim, my hand over my mouth.

"I didn't get much of a look at him. He looked pretty banged up. The ones that were carrying you were twins, though, and a blonde," Crayton tells me.

"Who el-NOLAN!" I shriek, horrified. "No no no, why did he jump? I slipped, he shouldn't have...oh my God! Nolan..." I murmur, shaking. I'm crying, I know, but I can barely feel my face. I can barely feel anything.

"I'm going to bring your friends in, so they can explain," Crayton stands up and leaves. A few seconds later, Matt, David and Damien come in, looking guilty. Damien clears his throat. Their eyes are red rimmed, and they look like they haven't slept in a while.

"How long was I out?" I ask.

"Three days, Ella," Matt whispers.

"I'm so glad you're okay. We shouldn't have made you leave school like that. It was-" I cut Damien off.

"It was fun. I'm glad I went up there. Don't be guilty. I'm the dumbass that slipped." That brings smiles to their faces. If only small ones.

"Ho-how's Nolan?" I whisper.

"They've done the surgery that they can, along with the scans. But they cant get a true reading til he wakes up."

"You mean...he's still in a coma?" I ask, terrified.

"Ella, do you remember what happened? The nurse says you have slight brain damage. We cant fill her in, since we didn't see anything after you jumped," Matt asks.

"Not really. I don't remember much from that day. But.." I trail off, smiling. "Nolan said that if he died, you couldn't have his PS3."

"Selfish bastard," Matt jokes. Then we all fall silent.

"Yo, open up! I wanna see the bugger!" Myra calls from outside. I chuckle. Damien opens the door. Her, Marina, Maren, John, Daniela, Sarah, Sam, Stanley and Adam burst in. My eyes widen at them. Then I realize. Drake isn't here. Did he not here, or does he just not care? Adam walks over with open arms. I hug him.

"He's driving all the way back from Ohio," he murmurs. My eyes light up. Adam hits my arm.

"Hey! What was that for?" I protest.

"That's for almost dying on us," he says. Another tear makes it way down my face.

"Listen, El. He'll be okay. People have survived falling from over six thousand metres," Adam says.

"Yeah, but they have time to slow down. And don't normally land on concrete. And don't have over one hundred extra pounds on their backs," I sniff. Suddenly, the door bursts open again. Drake runs over and wraps me in a hug. He doesn't let go. I hug him back just as tight.

"I'm so sorry I've been a crappy friend, and that is probably the reason you ditched school, and jumped off a roof, and I'm so so so so sorry-"

"I don't care. I have you now. That's all that matters," I mumble into his shoulder. He looks back at the others.

"Hey, guys? Can I have a minute with Ella? I needa tell her something," he says. They all leave. Drake looks me in the eye.

"I dumped Avril," he tells me.

"What? Why?" I question.

"I cant believe I'm saying this. God, it's so stupid," he runs a hand through his hair.

"Tell me, Drake," I urge. He sighs.

"I dumped her because I'm in love with someone else."

"Who?!"

"Daniela," he says seriously. My scream could probably be heard from Africa. "You can't tell anybody. I already know she hates me," he sighs.

"She wont for long. I'm playing matchmaker," I smirk.

"Oh, God no-" the others come back in.

"I heard the scream. What did he do to you, Ella?" Damien demands.

"Oh, nothing," I say, smirking.

"Why are you so happy all of a sudden?" Maren asks suspiciously.

"I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you," I realize what I said, and that Daniela is in the room. "Well, a-"

"Alrighty then!" Drake interrupts, slapping a hand over my mouth.

"Oh. Oops," I smile sheepishly. We talk for hours, before the nurse says I have to get some rest. As Marina closes the door, I think back to when I slipped. I have to remember. But all I remember in passing out. Gar! This is so annoying. I give up,and drift off to sleep. When I wake up, I hear a scream. I snap my eyes open and look around for the source. The nurse comes into my room.

"Ella, you are coming with me. You should be the next, after his parents, of course." She puts me in a wheelchair, and hurries down the hall, pushing me along. I don't have time to ask, because I'm being carted into another hospital room. An empty one. Apart from the boy laying on the bed. He blinks at me.

"NOLAN! You're awake!" I cry happily. He looks taken aback.

"Uh, I'm sorry, the nurse said I got serious brain damage. Do I know you?" He asks warily. And that question breaks my heart.

"Yeah. I'm guessing you were told how you got brain damage?" He nods.

"I'm the one you saved."

"Wow. Jeez, I sound like a real hero, huh?" He says.

"You are, Nolan. I know you don't remember, yet, anyway, and I'm still a bit blanked out too. But I hope you do, someday," I tell him. He grabs his head and groans. I see blood soaking through the bandage. I stand up, and run for the nurse. I press the bell. When she comes in, she sees Nolan's head and swears. She ushers me out of the room. I cant get up. My head hurts. And yet again, I pass out.

"Ella. Nolan went back into a coma after you saw him. You passed out, too. What happened?" The nurse asks. I shake my head.

"I dunno. I just...my head hurt, then I passed out," I answer. I'm passing out way too much these days.

"Well, I'm keeping you here for another week. Then you can go back to school," she says firmly. I nod. I'm too tired to do anything else. Let me tell you, those 7 days were the most boring of my life. But I'm glad to be back at school. I walk into math and take my usual seat beside Drake.

"Hey. Any news on Nolan?" He asks. I shale my head.

"He's still in a coma, last I heard. He's been out for nearly two weeks, Drake. I don't know if he'll wake up," I say quietly. He hugs me.

"Don't worry about it. Nolan won't die on us. Nah, he's far too proud for that. Dying at age seventeen from saving a girl by jumping off a twenty metre high roof? That isn't good enough for him, trust me," he says jokingly. I crack a smile. It isn't good enough for him. He deserves a better death than that. He's worked his way into my best friend circle these past few weeks I've known him. Life without Drake talking to me? That was hell on its own, and I still saw him. Life with Nolan dead? No. That's going too far. And it was all my fault.

"Oh, no. I thought we finished that pi unit," Drake moans. I look down at the textbook.

"Ugh!" I groan. We exchange a glance.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"You know I am." "On three." We aim our spitballs, and launch them at her head. Ms Carpin spins around, glaring at us.

"Drake, office. Now. Ella, you've been through a hard time recently, so I'll let you off this time," she says. I gape. Drake snickers under his breath. He gives a jaunty little wave.

"Figures," I mutter. I glance across the room. My eyes land on Nolan's empty seat. I stifle a sob. I should be the one in the damn coma. Not him. He was saving me. Dumb life.

The nightmares come back over the next few weeks. I ease into depression, slowly but surely. I'm on my seat between Myra and John when it rings. My phone starts playing Crazy Frog. Mr Rey eyes me.

"Detention, after school! No phones in class!" He yells. I look at the caller. The hospital! My eyes narrow. No.

"No. I nearly died recently, Mr Rey. One of my best friends is in the hospital in a coma, and hasn't woken up for three weeks. I am answering this call," I shout back, then race outside. I answer the call.

"Hello?"

"Ella. Bad news," the nurse says. My heart sinks. Has he...no. I wont think that.

"What?"

"Are you sitting down?"

"Yeah," I reply. I'm leaning against the door. But she doesn't know that.

"You weren't the first one he remembered," she says. I can practically feel her grin. What the heck?

"What do you mean?" I ask slowly.

"Think, Ella," the nurse says patiently.

"The first one he remembered..."

"Bloody hell, I'm awake!" I hear someone grab the phone and yell into it. That was...

"NOLAN!" I scream. I hear the nurse telling him off for yelling. I laugh. I'm so happy. The door opens. I turn to see Mr Rey scowling. I grab his shoulders.

"He's awake he's awake," I look past him at Myra and John and Damien. "HE'S AWAKE!" I yell at them. They rush past Mr Rey, and start talking all at once. I hold up my hand to shush them.

"We're coming over. Right now," I say. I turn to the others. "Damien, get the twins. John, get Adam and Drake. Possibly the others, but they're not as close to him, so it doesn't really matter. Myra, you're driving me," I order, and race down the hallway. I jump into Myra's car and she speeds down the highway to the hospital. We sing along loudly to the radio. Once she pulls up, we climb out.

"I'll wait for the others," she says. I nod, and run in. I compose myself at the entrance, and walk over to the receptionist.

"Nolan Kodenz. What room?" I demand.

"Calm down, dearie. 103," she says. I sprint up the stairs, elevators take too long. I burst through the door. Nolan's laying on the bed, reading the paper. I freeze mid-run.

"Who are you and what the heck have you done with Nolan?" I demand. He holds up the paper.

"What, this?" he raises his eyebrows. "Do you know how boring it is in here?"

"I was stuck in here for a week," I answer.

"Nearly four," Nolan shoots back. I rush forward and hug him. I look him over. His arms and legs are covered in scratches. He has a black eye, and cuts all over his face. The bandage around his head is still there, and it has a little bit of blood seeping through. His knee is also wrapped up, and elevated onto a table. All in all, he looks like crap. All I got was a couple of scraped knees and a minor concussion.

"I'm sorry I slipped off that dumb building, and you jumped after me stupidly," I hit his arm.

"Ow. What was that for?" he exclaims, rubbing his arm.

"Nearly dying on me," I reply.

"Well, I'm not dead now," he says. I examine him.

"You remember me this time. You got any other injuries?" I ask.

"Slight amnesia. Bitta brain damage. Couple of scratches and scrapes. Oh, and a broken knee. But that'll heal in a month or so," he says casually.

"A month! What about your sports?" I ask in horror.

"Ella, relax. I'm fine. I saved your life, so I'm fine. And, hey, not dying's a bonus too!"

"Jeez, schools been weird. I shot a spitball at Ms Carpin the other day, and she didn't tell me off!" I exclaim. He gives me a wtf face.

"You sure it was her? Not a clone? Not a figment of your imagination?"

"Positive. She's been acting weird lately," I reply.

"Yeah, like that time when she gave you that pass-"

"YOU'RE NOT DEAD!" Matt runs in screaming.

"No. I'm not," Nolan replies sceptically. Stanley comes rushing in. I forgot he was Nolan's friend.

"Yo, mate, you're alright!" he yells, doing one of those bro hug things.

"Yeah, man. I'm great," he answers.

"When are you coming back to soccer? And basketball? We need you on our team. David's filling in for you," he asks.

"Hey!" David protests. Myra and John walk in. Then Adam and Drake run in screaming. My eyes roll. These people I call my friends. A smile works it way onto my face.

"Sorry to break up this little reunion, but I need Ella and Nolan for testing," the nurse says.

"Didn't you already test me, though?" I ask.

"I need to test both of you to see how much you can remember. I also need the full story for the records," she explains.

"See ya, guys." I watch as they trudge out the door. I almost laugh at their sullen expressions.

"If you'd like to take a seat," she points to the chair beside the bed.

"And the king gets the bed, of course" I mumble.

"Duh. The king is a hero who just saved a damsel in distress," he replies.

"Okay, now, tell me what you remember?" she asks.

"I guess we were on a roof, from what I've heard. I don't remember it being Ella that I saved. All I remember is jumping," Nolan explains. He looks at me. My turn.

"I don't remember much either. Just falling. I vaguely remember him telling me to open my eyes, and then pulling me onto his back. I didn't remember that it was _him_ , though. The one thing I do remember, was him telling me Matt couldn't have his PS3. I hit my head on something. I don't know what, though. And pain. Heaps of pain," I say.

"I don't remember anything else at all. No falling, no impact. I don't even know who was there. Actually, I don't really remember anything from that day," Nolan says. The nurse nods.

"Okay. We'll take you through a few exercises to try jog your memories. Ella, if you could go with Dr Haol, and Nolan, since you're not looking very good, I'll send in the other doctor." I follow her to a white room. Shocker. A man in about his mid thirties comes in.

"Hi, Ella. I'm Dr Haol. What can you remember?" I tell him. It only takes about ten seconds, since its so little.

"Okay. I'll run through the exercises," he says. Two hours later, I can remember Nolan's face when I opened my eyes.

"It'll take a while to remember the more major things, but that's a start. You can go see how Nolan's going now, if you want." I thank him, then head back to room 103. Nolan looks strained as his doctor says stuff to him.

"Hold on...nope. I cant remember," he finally says, looking annoyed.

"Here's Ella. I'll let you two talk, see if you can remember anything else," she says, then gets up and leaves.

"You remember anything?"

"Your face," I reply.

"Better than me. I got nothing," he raises his palms.

"You gotta remember something," I insist. He sighs.

"Fine. You got me. I remember what I ate for breakfast this morning," he says.

"You weren't even awake this morning," I point out.

"Exactly," he groans. "There's something at the back of my mind, but I can't remember it. I don't even know if it happened. It's just there." That's interesting.

"Same with me. I just can't place it, though," I nod.

"Do you remember what happened at school?" he asks. "It might've happened there." I think.

"That was the wacko day Ms Carpin was nice to me! I don't remember what else happened, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't good. Actually, I vaguely remember crying..." I trail off. "No idea why, though."

"I dunno. I don't know anything. It's irritating the crap outta me," he says.

"Hey, howsabout I text Adam? He should know," I suggest. Nolan closes his eyes and nods.

"I'm in no shape to strain my brain." I dial the number. He picks up on the fourth ring.

"Hey Adam. I was wondering what happened the day me and Nolan fell/jumped off a roof?" I ask.

"Uh...oh. That was that weird-ass day. First Drake and Avril got detention, and you felt like he was replacing you, so you left. Ms Carpin was nice, and gave you a hall pass though. That's what Nolan told me," he begins. I send a glance at Nolan. He raises his eyebrows. I shake my head. That was probably when I cried.

"Okay, what else?" I ask.

"Um...oh! Drake and Avril announced, well, Avril's friend did, that they were dating. Then I talked to you about the fact that he was replacing you and whatever. Then you went back to your table, and I went off at Drake. I stormed out. I'm guessing you five left after that," he tells me. I ponder this.

"Thanks, Adam. Talk to you later," I hang up.

"So?" Nolan questions.

"It was a weird-ass day," I quote Adam.

"How so?"

"Apparently I got upset since..." I trail off. Nolan doesn't need to know the sappy details. "Because of something, then in the cafeteria, Avril's friend announced that her and Drake were dating-"

"Something about that jogs my memory, for some reason..." Nolan thinks. Then shakes his head. "Dunno what, though."

"Then Adam and I talked about how Drake was distancing himself from us. Then he went off at him, stormed out. Apparently we left shortly after that," I finish.

"Do you remember any of it?"

"Nope."

"Okay, well, this sucks," Nolan says.

"Yep. Pretty much," I reply.

"They said my arms also broken. Apparently it wasn't obvious because it isn't a clean break. The bones deformed, they said." Wow. That's pretty bad.

"Mr Kodenz? Can we try another memory test?" a nurse rushes in. He sighs.

"Whatever. Sure," he answers. "Talk to ya later, Els," he says.

"See you." I walk past the nurse, and out in the waiting room. My friends are all gathered there. I see Sarah there, too.

"Woah! You guys are still here?" I ask, surprised.

"Uh, yeah! We wanted to know how you went," Myra says.

"Crap. I don't remember anything, apart from Nolan's face when I opened my eyes. I don't know anything else about that, so please don't ask."

"How about Nolan? He do any better?" Adam asks.

"Nope. He did worse, actually. He still has no idea of anything. None of us remember what happened at school that day, either. That's why I called. I remember climbing up the building, and some stuff from school. He doesn't even remember that it was me he saved, really," I answer.

"Yikes. That's pretty bad."

"Yeah. He's also a whole lot more banged up than me. They just found out his arms broken, and the bone in its deformed," I explain.

"That's...really gross," Myra says. The others nod.

"And all I got was a concussion, not even a bad one, and a few scraped knees," I say miserably.

"Its his fault he jumped, El. Not yours. He coulda let you get injured real bad," Damien puts in. I look at him incredulously.

"That's supposed to help?" I ask.

"Uhm, what I meant to say was, that, uh, its our fault for taking you up there?" he questions. The twins facepalm.

"Dude, just stop talking," Matt groans. Damien pretends to zip his lips.

"And if you really feel that guilty, you can probably ask him to sue you," Drake puts in obliviously. Marina, who I'm guessing arrived about an hour ago, shoots him a warning look.

"Drake! You don't just freaking say that!" Myra yells at him.

"I think what he _meant_ to say," Marina glares at him. He smiles sheepishly. "Was that you shouldn't feel guilty, because its not your fault."

"That's right," Drake says. I roll my eyes at him.

"I wonder what all his girlfriends would say if they saw him now," Stanley muses.

"They'd probably shriek in horror and terror, then run away," Myra says.

"They'd probably be too upset his face was ruined," David snickers. I forgot, Nolan was, still is, really, a part of the playboy group. I chuckle along with the others.

"Was it really that great to start with, though?" Damien adds.

"Hey, you aren't supposed to be talking!" Myra says. He grins.

"I'm sorry, I just had to take that opportunity."

"Yo! I thought you people were my friends?" Nolan calls across the room. We gape at him.

"They let you up?" I ask, stunned. He grins cheekily, then scratches his neck.

"They, uh, left the wheelchair right by my bed. And no one was in there, so...their fault, really."

"Good one," Matt high fives him.

"So, gossiping about me, eh?" he asks.

"Well, it wasn't really like _that_ -"

"Ella was just telling us how you were-"

"Apparently you don't remember anything, according to Ella-"

"Well, Ella-"

"OI! Stop trying to pin the blame on me! You," I point to them. "Were the ones who asked me about him."

"Anything interesting?" Nolan asks.

"Your arm? She said its broken," David points to me. Nolan lifts it up and examines it.

"They tell me it is. Hurts like hell, so I guess its true."

"So, you don't remember anything?" Drake asks.

"Nope. Adam told me and Ella what happened that day at school, but I don't actually remember any of it. Apparently she does," he jerks a thumb at me.

"Yeah, I remember half of it More than you, anyhow," I say.

"How have they not noticed you're missing yet?" Stanley asks no one in particular.

"I guess they just have really crappy staff," Nolan says, shrugging. The others and I suppress our laughter. He looks around him.

"What?" Then it dawns on him. "Oh, crap. Is this one of those bad clichés where the nurse is standing right behind me?" We all nod. He turns around.

"Uh, hi?" The nurse raises an eyebrow at him. He raises one back.

"Mr Kodenz, you have a serious concussion, multiple broken bones, and dozens of scratches, along with a major head wound. You shouldn't be wandering around like that."

"Well, actually, I only broke one bone. See, I _deformed_ the other one," he says defiantly.

"I am aware, Mr Kodenz."

"Please, call me Nolan," Nolan flashes a smile.

"Could you head back up to your room, _Nolan_ , before I have to call the hospitals _crappy_ security?" I like this nurse. While we snicker, Nolan defeatedly turns around and into the elevator. She smiles at us.

"That boy will be the death of me," she grins, shaking her head.

"Um, nurse? I've known you and been talking to you for ages, but I still don't know your name," I say politely.

"Nurse O'Connell. You lot should be getting home. You can come back and visit tomorrow. _After_ school, this time," she adds. Drake salutes.

"Ma'am yes ma'am," he says. We file out into the cold. I realize something.

"So, how do we get home?" I ask. We had two cars. Myra, John, the twins, Drake, Adam, Stanley, Damien, Marina, Sarah and I wont fit into two cars. One persons left out.

"Uh, does anyone live close to here?" John asks. Everyone shakes their heads.

"Crap," Matt mutters.

"Well, we've got Myra's car and Adam's car. I guess we just work out who lives closest to who," John says.

"Well, Damien and I live close together, and obviously Matt lives with me, so we should go together," David says.

"Okay, I live in Kedzie Boulevard, so who's close to there?" Myra asks.

"I'm by the school. So whoever lives closer to there than Kedzie, come with me," Adam says. In the end, Marina, John, Sarah and Stanley go with Myra, while Matt, David, Damien, Drake and I are with Adam.

"So. Someone has to either sit on someone's lap, or we cram four people in the back," I say.

"I choose the second option," Drake says quickly.

"Seconded," the twins say in unison.

"So, whos sitting in the front?" Adam asks.

"It should be me, since I'm the only girl-"

"Dibs shotgun!" Damien yells. I glare at him.

"Well, Ella would've made sense, but okay. Sorry Els," Adam apologizes. When we get in, it goes Matt, then David, then me, then Drake, since I live closest to Adam.

"Great," I mutter.

"Nurse O'Connell's pretty cool," Matt says.

"Yeah, she showed Nolan alright. that was hilarious!" David agrees. Adam suddenly turns a hard left.

"Eee!" Damien screams. I freeze. The scream replays in my mind. Why is that...

"THATS IT!" I shout. The others look at me weirdly.

"I remember now. That day at school, when that girl, Avril's friend, screamed..." I trail off, thinking. "Before that, before that...Nolan was talking, right? He was saying something to me?" I ask the others.

"Yeah, that's right. Probably wanted to ask about Ms Carpin," Damien says.

"And then...Adam! I texted you, cause you were about to go off at Drake. Then you did anyway."

"I remember that," Drake mutters.

"Here we are! See ya, you three!" the twins and Damien get out of the car.

"Thank God," I shuffle over and spread myself out.

"I think my arms are permanently misshapen."

"We heard you got detention from Mr Rey," Adam says.

"Ugh, yeah. Cause my phone rang. It was the nurse," I answer.

"What'd you do?"

"Yelled at him," I shrug.

"Yelled at him? Are you serious?"

"Uh, yeah."

"I wish I could've seen his face!" Drake exclaims. "That must've been hilarious!"

"What'd you say?" Adam asks.

"Told him that I'd nearly died and my friend was in a coma. That did it, for sure," I reply.

"Well, see ya Drake, we're here," Adam tells him.

"See you tomorrow!" he yells. We wave back. Adam drives off again.

"Hopefully we don't have to relive that anytime soon," Adam says. I cant agree more.

 **I have a question. Not related to the story, just random:**

 **What is your favourite LL book?**

 **Mine's gotta be Rise of Nine.**

 **Peace,**

 **HV**


	8. We Have a Sucky Ref and I Pass Out (duh)

**A/N**

 **Yo! How's it going?**

 **That's all I have to say so...here's the chapter.**

 **Enjoy!**

"Ella! You missed practice, _again!_ " Jody calls to me, jogging down the hall.

"I know. I was doing memory tests at the hospital," I apologize.

"No problem. Just hope you haven't forgotten your midfielder moves, or Coach'll be livid," she says.

"Yeah, see you at the game!" I say.

"Bye!" she yells over her shoulder, still running. That girl. My phone rings.

"You have soccer today, right?" Nolan asks. The nurses had been a bit stricter with him since he escaped yesterday. He couldn't be alone in his room now.

"Yeah, 4.30," I reply, shoving my books in my locker.

"4.30? Okay. I'll see you there," he says. I stop mid-shove.

"You're coming?" I exclaim.

"Yep. Doctors orders. I need fresh air. And time with my friends, to, and I quote, 'burn off the sarcasm'." I snort.

"Good luck with that. See you then!"

"See you," he hangs up. I bounce to my next class, a.k.a science. The block had been renovated for the first half of the year, so this is my first class. When I arrive, the teacher is assigning lab partners.

"Ella, there you are. You can work with Daniela," she says. I grin, and head over to my assigned table. Daniela sits down next to me with a grunt.

"How you doing?" I ask.

"Crap. My cousins blaming me for Drake breaking up with her. She's a witch, honestly," she says.

"What if he did like you instead of her?" she snorts.

"No way in hell he would. Like I said, I'm not interested in dating," she says.

"If someone asked you out, though, would you say yes?"

"If they were nice enough, maybe. Why?" she asks suspiciously.

"No reason," I reply cheerfully. After nearly blowing up the lab, I race to the locker rooms, snagging my P.E. bag on the way. I pull on my red and black uniform, and lace up my sneakers. Showtime. I jog out onto the pitch and start warming up.

"Hey, Ella! Over here!" Jody calls. She's stretching with Myra and Maren.

"Hey guys, who are we playing today?" I question. Their expressions harden.

"Mogador Academy. Our biggest rivals," Maren says darkly.

"Great time for me to be making a comeback," I mutter.

"Hey, you'll do great. You're the best midfield we've had in years," Myra says encouragingly.

"That's true," Maren says. Jody nods. Well, if Maren and Myra think so, that must mean something.

"Fresh meat, eh?" A girl with long black braids walks over, eyeing me.

"Piss off, Phiri. You're just upset cause we replaced Diana," Myra retorts. Phiri walks up to me.

"Be careful, little girl. Things get rough out on the pitch," she hisses. I nod thoughtfully.

"Well, I've got a nurse that knows me pretty well, so I doubt that'll be a problem," I shoot back. Her eyes narrow, and she stalks away.

"You showed her," Jody says approvingly.

"Yo, Phiri! How's the head?" a voice yells. Phiri's head snaps up. She pulls the finger at the person, then struts off to her team. I turn my head and see a wheelchair coming towards me, along with Nurse O'Connell.

"C'mon, miss, I don't need you pushing me, its embarrassing," Nolan groans. I stifle a laugh. Maren and Myra don't bother.

"Hey, Nolan! How you doing?" Myra calls out. He scowls.

"I'm great. Amazing. Being pushed around by a nurse is just my idea of fun!" he exclaims.

"I see what you meant about burning off the sarcasm," I observe. He scowls again

"Don't take her side! That'll just encourage her," he moans.

"So, you're playing Mogador again?" he asks. We all nod.

"Try attack B. I think their wondering who the hell Ella is. And Phiri's pretty worked up," he says seriously. The other three look like they understand. Nolan looks at me.

"Pretty much just kick their ankles when their not looking. You'll pick up on the rest." I nod. I have no idea what I'm getting into.

"Captains! Shake hands!" Coach yells. Phiri strides to the centre of the pitch. Maren walks over calmly, and stands opposite Phiri. Neither offer their hands.

"Captains, shake hands," Coach repeats. Still, neither does. I can see their mouths moving.

"Girls, don't make me come over there!" He yells. Maren retorts to something Phiri said, and she lunges forward. Maren stands there calmly.

"Don't cross me," she spits, then holds out her hand. Maren shakes it.

"Okay. Garde High won the toss, so they'll be starting," Coach puts the ball in front of Maren. I remember most of the tactics from trainings, but I missed a lot of those.

"Garde! Two slam, three in the gutter. Go!" Maren yells. And then I'm running forward, toward the middle of the pitch. Myra gets there first, and Maren boots the ball to her. I slow down, and creep down the side of the pitch. A tall blonde girl is hacking violently at Myra's feet. Yikes. She kicks the ball to Jody, who passes to someone else I don't know. Beth, or Britney, I think. She panics as one girl stomps right in front of her feet, and kicks wildly. The ball comes to a halt a little bit in front of me. I don't hesitate. I run forward and dribble towards the goal. I feel a stud drive its way into my knee. I gasp and drop to the ground, but not before sending the ball flying with a blind kick. I collapse, and stare at my knee. Blood is dripping down it, but I don't care. My thirst for victory just went up. They wanna play dirty? I'll show them bloody dirty. In all meanings of the word. Maren has the ball again. She dodges an attacker, then flicks it to another girl, Alicia, I'm pretty sure, and she dribbles it up the field. I sprint toward the goal, coming up on Alicia's left side. I 'accidentally' kick a girl in the calf as I run past. She swears, and bends over to hold it. I grin.

"Alicia!" I call. She passes to me, and I dribble it. The goal is right in front of me. If I could just-I yell as something hits my back, hard. Again, I can feel blood seeping through my shirt. This isn't keeping me from scoring. I aim my foot, then boot the ball into the air. Silence. And jostling. The ball flies through the air. The goalie rises. I hold my breath. And then Phiri's there, leaping, saving the goal. I gape. Oh, this is war. I rush at her, and kick at the ball, also her legs. I stomp on her foot, then take possession of the ball again. I kick it again, and it hits the goalie in the stomach. As she bends over, I give it a light tip, and it bounces neatly into the goal. My teammates stare at me. And stare.

"Nice kick, Ella!" Nolan yells from the side lines. I can tell he's talking about Phiri. Myra snaps out of her daze first.

"HOLY CRAP ELLA, THAT WAS EPIC!" She shouts, high fiving me. She looks at her hand.

"Oh my God. You're bleeding?" She asks in horror. I show her my calf, and then lift up the back of my shirt. Maren sees, and looks murderous.

"Ref! How is that not a foul?" She demands. The ref gives her some answer she doesn't like.

"They're never this bad," Jody mutters.

"Are you alright to play?" Myra asks concerned.

"Just a little cut, is all. I'll be fine," I reply. The game goes on in a similar way. I guess their ganging up on me since I'm the newbie. But I'll show them. Its the final minute, and the scores 3 all. Maren currently has the ball. She scored the other two goals. She's awesome at soccer.

"Ella!" She yells. Oh no. Not again. I rush forward to receive the pass, and chest it to the ground. I can barely see through my black eye, from where I fell over and got kicked. I dribble right up to the goal, and kick. I score! Uh, no. That's not how my life works. I get a boot right in my already bleeding calf. I scream. I feel the flesh tear. The whistle blows.

"Golden goal! This will begin after a five minute break," the ref says, eyeing me sceptically. My teammates crowd around me.

"Ella, can you keep playing? We have no subs, but we can forfeit if-"

" _No_ ," I say forcefully, standing up.

"If those bitches want a fight, they'll get one." Maren holds out her hand. I shake it.

"Welcome fully to the team, Ella," she says.

"Thanks," I reply.

"So what's the plan?" Jody asks.

"Bull rush. Run straight at them, and Ella will go to the front. Myra and Jody will get the ball up past the middle, while I'll go up and support Ella. Cool?" Maren asks.

"Cool," we chorus. She grins, and puts out her hand.

"Garde on three. One, two, three-"

"GARDE!" We yell, then do a complicated clapping stomping thing. We line up along the field. Myra successfully brings up the ball. Then Phiri steals it. She dribbles down the field, right past me. Oh hell no. I race after her. I already know I won't make it. I launch myself off the ground, my foot out, and I hit her back, with the tip of my cleat. Phiri pauses, and that's all I need. I grab the ball, and dribble. I see Myra standing by the goal. I pass to her, and she kicks it in. Goal. The whistle blows. Cheers sound from our side of the bleachers. Boo's from Mogador. I look down at my leg. For the zillionth time that month, because I have a pretty low pain tolerance, I guess, I pass out.

The beeping noise.

"Ugh. That noise is getting really old," I groan.

"You ripped a muscle. How'd you do that?" Nurse O'Connell asks.

"Soccer. Two studs in it," I answer.

"How did that happen?" she asks.

"We had a really bad ref," I smile weakly.

"Well, I'm a little sick of you, and I mean that in the nicest possible way," she says. I grin.

"I'm sure you're used to this by now, so I'll just send them in." My team comes in.

"Ella, thank God you're okay. That was a vicious game," Maren says.

"Yeah, they're not normally like that," Beth says.

"I think I know why." They stare. "I used to go to Mogador." Silence.

"You came from there? And aren't a bitch?" Myra questions. I nod.

"My respect for you just went up," Jody says solemnly.

"Are you feeling okay?" Alicia asks.

"I guess. I'm gonna be in here for a while. And I'll have to do more memory tests. Ugh," I reply.

"Well, good luck. Hope you remember stuff," Alicia says. I wave as they walk out.

"Okay, Ella, todays session will be in here. How are you feeling?" Dr Haol asks. I'm sweating by the end of the exercises.

"Do you remember anything?"

"I...yeah. At school...I remember my friends yelling at each other. I also remembered something, the other day," I tell him.

"What was that?"

"Someone screamed, then I remembered someone screaming at school. I remembered about a minute before and after that," I explain. He looks thoughtful.

"I have an idea for tomorrow. You get some rest." I do so gratefully. The next morning, Damien and the twins accompany Dr Haol into my room.

"We have an idea on how to jog your memory," the twins tell me.

"Okay, you know what to do. I'll be in the office if you need me," Dr Haol leaves.

"Okay," Matt claps his hands together.

"We're gonna try re-enact a conversation from the day, or something like that. Did you get a haircut?" David asks. I reach around to touch my hair.

"No, I- crap, I lost my hair-tie!" I exclaim.

"I have a rubber band if you wanna use that," Matt offers. I look at it sceptically.

"You know that is literally the most painful thing you can do to a girl," I say. The others exchange glances.

"What?" I ask.

"Well, we cant really do the next part of the convo. So, it didn't work?" David asks. I shake my head.

"Damn. Okay, I think it only works if it's snippets that are randomly brought up," Damien says. They try for another ten minutes. Nada.

"Well, at least you tried," I grumble.

"We're gonna try it with Nolan next," David says. I snort.

"Good luck with that. He's way worse than me."

"We know. The docs forcing us. But maybe its his lucky day," Matt says hopefully. His twin shakes his head.

"Well, bye!" Damien says.

"Yeah, see you at school tomorrow. Look for the massive cast," I point to my leg. They wince.

"Yeesh, Phiri really is evil." I turn on the TV. Dora the Explorer. Ah, what the hell. There's only that or Antiques Roadshow, and I'm not stooping that low yet. Dora tells me to close my eyes. I do so, for the hell of it.

"Open your eyes!" she exclaims. Mine snap open.

"That's why I remembered Nolan's face," I murmur. "Because he told me to open my eyes!"

 **And that's a great place to end it! Peace out,**

 **HV**


	9. I Get Annoyed and Join Team Gryffindor

**A/N**

 **You guys must love my fast updating.**

 **So, here it is, the long (well, not really) awaited chapter nine!**

 **Enjoy!**

I limp into school on my crutches.

"El! Nolan remembered something!" Matt yells as he runs down the hall.

"Yeah?" I ask. Maybe he finally remembered it was me he saved.

"Yeah. Don't look too hopeful, he knows what he ate for lunch." I try not to show my disappointment. But I'm happy, truly.

"Hey, at least it's something! Next it could be jumping off the building," I say. Matt claps me on the back.

"That's the spirit."

"I remembered something too," I tell him.

"What? When?"

"Yesterday. I was watching Dora the Explorer-" Matt snickers. "It was the only thing on! Anyway, it told me to close my eyes. Then Dora said to open them. And I remembered Nolan telling me that," I explain.

"Why are you doing so much better than him?" he asks.

"I didn't have over one hundred pounds on my back as I hit concrete from twenty metres up, and didn't actually hit it directly," I remind him.

"Right," he says, unconvinced. "Dora the Explorer." He snickers quietly to himself. I punch his arm.

"Ow! Damn, for someone with amnesia and a ripped up muscle, you've got a mean punch," he groans.

"And don't you forget it," I reply, smiling. I plonk myself down next to Maren.

"You seem happy," she observes.

"Must be the Dora the Explorer," I reply. She gives me a weird look.

"Ella, what happened to your leg?" Stanley calls. I look back at him.

"Mogador!" I call back. His eyes widen.

"Jeez, I know they're bitches, but they're not that bad," he says, confused.

"I used to go there," I reply.

"You? But you're nice!" he exclaims.

"Yeah. I guess," I mutter, turning back to my drawing. The other two stop talking about me. By the time lunch rolls around, I'm completely irritated by everyone. I slam my tray down next to Daniela. Change of scenery's always good. And I feel like I can relate to her today.

"You know that feeling where you hate everyone?" I ask her.

"Yep. Everyday," she replies.

"Everyone keeps asking about my leg, and treating me like, I dunno, I'm too nice for Mogador, or too fragile, or whatever," I rage. Daniela nods.

"I totally feel you, but sitting over here and raging? Probably not gonna help," she says.

"Yeah, you're right. What do you do when you get...seriously mad?" I question.

"Rule breakings a shoe in to make you feel better," she winks.

"You have anything in mind?"

"That depends. How angry are you?"

"Whatever. I'll do whatever," I reply.

"I dunno, break something? Whatever you want," Daniela says. I consider. I have an idea.

"Daniela, don't blame yourself if you don't like what I'm gonna do," I tell her, then run off. I open the nearest janitors closet, and find the sharpest object I can. When I do, I smash my cast. I bin the shards, then walk, albeit a slight limp, calmly back into the cafeteria. Daniela's eyes widen (and that's bloody hard to do) when she sees me.

"Are you bloody crazy?" she hisses as I pick up my tray. I just grin, and head over to Drake's table.

"Hey," I say, putting down my tray.

"Hi. Have you tried these burgers? They're amazing!"

"Ella," Adam says.

"Adam," I mock.

"Why did you do that?" he asks.

"Do what?" I answer innocently.

"I'd believe that if I didn't see you walk in," his eyes narrow.

"Whatever do you mean?" I question.

"Stand up, Ella," he says.

"Why-" Drake gets up, stands behind me, and lifts me off the seat. I'm standing behind it. Everyone's eyes widen.

"You didn't-"

"Why did you-"

"Are you _crazy_?" Matt shouts. I turn to him.

"Nolan freaking jumped off a building to save you, might have permanent knee damage and never be able to walk properly again, not to mention his deformed bone and brain damage," he pauses to let that sink in. "And you repay him by smashing your cast, so _you_ might not be able to walk again? You think he wants that?" Matt rants. He's livid. David and Damien try to calm him down. No dice.

"I-I'm sorry. I just felt so angry, and broken, and-" Matt's face softens.

"Sorry I yelled. But you really shouldn't have done that," he says.

"Yeah. I know," I whisper.

"So let's go to the hospital and get a new one?" I suddenly realize.

"Oh my God, Crayton cant pay for all this! I'm so stupid..." I drop to my knees. Jeez, talk about mood swings.

"Then I'll pay. My familys bloody rich enough," Damien says. I look up at him.

"No, you cant, thats not-"

"They have, like, twenty cars. Trust me, we can afford it," he assures me. I dont believe him.

"Look, think of it as an apology for making you go up on that roof."

"No-"

"Yes. Now, you're going to the hospital. I think you're still a bit traumatized." I don't have the heart to disagree. When I get there, I fall asleep straight away. Nurse O'Connell gave me a few pills. I wake up to a face staring at me. A really busted up face.

"Argh!" I yell, putting up my hands.

"Woah. Calm down, girl. Damien told me you were stressed and moody, but-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Nolan Ambrogio Kodenz," I warn. He throws up his hands.

"Wouldn't dream of it," he replies. I make a mhm noise.

"You remembered you were eating that gross meatloaf. Congrats," I tell him.

"Hey! The meatloaf was amazing," he says defensively.

"You'd say pig slop was amazing," I point out.

"If it was a posh pig, yeah," he agrees. I scrunch my nose.

"Apparently Dora the Explorer reminded you of me?" He asks, snickering.

"Yep. You're both stupid, ugly and Spanish. No offense to Dora, though," I smirk,

"I'm Italian! Not Spanish," he grumbles.

"Oh really?"

"Yes! My name actually means 'immortal champion'," he says. I burst out laughing.

"For real?" I ask.

"Yeah. Nolan means champion and Ambrogio means immortal. So, immortal champion," he says.

"Wouldn't it be champion immortal?"

"Well, yeah, but that doesn't make sense."

"Or does it?"

"No, I'm pretty sure it doesn't," he says.

"Well, maybe that's why you didn't die. Cause you're the immortal champion," I say, only half joking.

"Are you...making fun of me? " he raises an eyebrow.

"Mhm. What're you gonna do, stab me with your gross deformed bone?" I scoff. He starts unwrapping the bandage.

"Sure, if that's what you want," he says.

"Oh, well actually..." he holds out his arm.

"Yugh." It is gross. It has lumps sticking out of it, and its bruised and green and yellow and purple and just...disgusting.

"Like what you see?" He jumps his eyebrows.

"Ew, God no," I answer, staring at the arm in horror. "That's just wrong."

"Mhm. But its pretty cool grossing people out with it," he grins.

"You strange, strange boy," I tsk. He's right, though. I do feel slightly sick. "Now put that away, I'm feeling sick." He complies, though grudgingly.

"How did you remember what you ate for lunch?" I ask, then stifle a laugh. That sounds so weird.

"I dunno. It just randomly came to me," he shrugs.

"I always have the thing that happened to me happen to me again. Or something like that, anyway," I say.

"Maybe you'll have to fall off a roof again to remember it," he jokes.

"Maybe," I reply.

"Hey. What were you going to tell me?" I question.

"Huh?"

"The day in the cafeteria. You were about to ask me something, then Avril's friend screamed," I explain.

"No idea," he says. "Things from the weeks before are a bit blurred too. But I remember you okay, so I guess its not that bad."

"Really? For me, its just that day." Nolan gives me a wry smile.

"Mhm. But you didn't eat gravel at miles per hour with over a hundred pounds on your back," he quotes. I scowl.

"When I say it, its 'hit concrete', not 'eat gravel'," I tell him. He shrugs.

"Same difference."

"I bet if you went up to a freefall surviver and asked them which one they preferred, they'd say hit concrete," I argue.

"I wish I had your memory remembering system, cause something about that sentence seems familiar," he scowls. "I don't know what for the life of me, though." I nod, and plug my headphones into my iPod. I stick the earphones in my ears. Nolan looks peeved.

"That's rude, you know," he says, taking one of them out and putting it in his ear. He starts singing along (badly) to The Script's Superheroes.

"A heart of steeeeel starts to grow!"

"When you've been fighting for it all your life! You've been struggling to make things right! That's how a superhero learns to fly!" we sing.

"We should make a duet," Nolan says thoughtfully.

"Oh yes, we should call it the Booed since 2016," I state.

"Hmm, that could work. Argh, this song sucks!" he rips out his earphone. I listen. Marvin Gaye.

"It does not!" I retort.

"Yes, it totally does! Have you heard it?"

"I'm listening to it right now!"

"Why? It's terrible!"

"No it isn't."

"Yes, it is."

"No."

"Yes.

"No."

"This is stupid."

"Yeah."

"Ha! You said yes!" Nolan grins triumphantly. I scowl.

"No."

"Yes."

"No-this _is_ stupid," I agree.

"Told ya."

"N-I am not starting this again," I say.

"Good idea," he agrees.

"You know, we're gonna have so much work when we go back," I muse. Nolan grins.

" _If_ I go back before the end of the year. They might send me in for one day later this week," he says.

"Wouldn't you need someone pushing you, though? Cause of your arm?" I ask. He shrugs.

"I'll just get someone from my class to do it. Besides, Nurse O'Connell wont be there, so I can just use both arms," he explains.

"Rebel," I tsk.

"Of course I am. I'm like those bad boy types. Handsome, tall...maybe not silent. Witty. Yeah. Not to mention strong. Charming, e-"

"I'm pretty sure none of those apply to you," I smile. He looks hurt.

"El, don't deny your true feelings. You know you want a piece of this," Nolan spreads his arms wide, gesturing to himself. I made an 'ew' face.

"A piece of what? Your smashed knee? Then yeah, I _totally_ want a piece," I say sarcastically.

"Aw, I knew it! Ella's growing up!"

"What the actual heck-" he cuts me off.

"Everyone's fancied me at some point. It's inevitable," he grins.

"Firstly, are you British or something? Because you're always saying British stuff, like 'bloody', or 'fancy', and it's weird. Second, if you went to Hogwarts, you'd be in Slytherin," I tell him.

"Hey, no objections there, Slytherin's awesome! And no, I'm not British. Italian."

"What? No, Slytherins are evil," I argue.

"No, El. Think about it. The most powerful wizards came from there. Even Merlin was in Slytherin. Plus, Harry would be dead if it weren't for his Slytherin heritage, he couldn't speak Parseltongue and Ginny would be dead, too. Narcissa saved Harry's life, Snape saved everyone heaps of times, must I go on?" he says. I stare at him.

"I still think they're evil," I say.

"Typical Gryffindor," he grumbles.

"You know what, you're taking a quiz. I will too. See what houses we get." After taking both, we end up with the expected results.

"Evil," I mutter.

"Reckless," Nolan mutters back.

"Hey! Lets test Drake!" I exclaim.

"Oh, this'll be interesting," he mumbles. We dial Drake's number.

"So, Drake, we're gonna ask you some questions. Okay?"

"Who's we?" He asks.

"Me," Nolan says.

"Ahkay. The hospital buds!" Nolan and I make weird faces at each other.

"Okay, so, when you die, what would you want people to do when they hear your name?" I ask.

"Uh, I'm not dead. So, who cares?" He answers. Nolan ticks that answer.

"Heads or tails?"

"Heads," he replies. We ask the rest of the questions and read out the options. Drake seems thoroughly confused. I snort when I see the least likely house. Ravenclaw. No surprise there.

"We have a hatstall!" Nolan calls.

"What the hecks a hatstall?" I ask. He sighs dramatically.

"A draw. Gosh, Ella, keep up."

"Well, what houses?"

"Gryffindor or Hufflepuff."

"Eh, cool," I say.

"I'm a Huffindor! Ew no, that sounds weird. Gryffinpuff! Cool!" My eyes roll.

"Why is being a Hufflepuff cool?" Nolan questions.

"Typical Slytherin," I mutter.

"Whats Ella?" Drake asks.

"Gryffindor," I reply.

"Buddies!"

"Now we just need a Ravenclaw. I'll bet anything that's Adam," I say.

"Well, lets call him." I do.

"Hey, Adam? Can you take the Pottermore sorting quiz?"

"Sure. Why?"

"Uh, we just wanna know," I reply. I hear clicking in the background.

"Okay. Calculating now," he says.

"Ravenclaw and Slytherin."

"Another bloody hatstall! But good for you, mate, Slytherins the best," Nolan exclaims.

"I'm guessing that's you?" Adam asks.

"Ravenclaw smarts. Yeah. I'm Gryffindor. Drake's a, and I quote, 'Huffindor! Ew no, that sounds weird. Gryffinpuff!'" I grin.

"Typical. I guess that makes me a Slytherclaw."

"Cool. Well, bye!"

"See ya!"

"This obsession with Hogwarts houses isnt very healthy, you know," Nolan muses.

"Eh. You aren't very healthy," I shoot back. Then I realize how dumb that was. He smirks.

"So you're implying that you're obsessed with me?"

"No!"

"Its okay, Ella. Tell me how you truly feel."

"But its not like that!"

"Shall I tell everyone? I got half the school on contacts."

"How?"

"Ah, you forget my reputation. I've got, like, two thirds of all the girls-"

"Okay, okay! I get the point!" I interrupt.

"Was that an okay to the message?" He grins.

"Nurse, he's having some brain damage problems. I think you're needed," I say, pressing the button.

"Coming right up, Ella," she replies.

"Delete that message on the way out," I tell him. He scowls in response.

 **So. That was a pretty pointless chapter, but it was fun to write.**

 **Signing out for approximately two minutes,**

 **HV**


	10. I 'Confess' and Buy a Dress

**A/N**

 **I'm back! I can't believe I've updated like four chapters, but I'm bored, so yeah.**

 **Enjoy!**

"El. Why didn't you tell us?!" Damien, the twins, Marina, Adam and Drake run up to me.

"Uh, what?" They wave their phones at me. I read the nearest one. 'Hey guys, did you know that Ella told me last night that she's obsessed with me? Yeah.'

"I will kill that bastard," I seeth.

"So...is it true?" Damien asks.

"NO!" I roar, making heads turn toward me. "I mean, no. I am not, he just made that up last night!"

"What were you doing last night?" Matt jumps his eyebrows.

"I was in the bloody hospital...taking Hogwarts house quizzes..." I mutter.

"Well, that's true. I'm a Huffindor! Wait, no, Gryffinpuff!" Drake exclaims.

"Ew, why are you happy to be in Hufflepuff?" Damien asks, scrunching his nose.

"Says the Draco Malfoy lookalike," I mutter.

"What was that? Do I?" Damien asks, touching his hair.

"Yeah, man. Grow out your hair, and bam! The Slytherin prince is reborn," David agrees.

"Cool! Draco gets, like, all the girls! Or, all the hot ones. I'm growing my hair out."

"If you combed in over, or back, you could pull it off," I supply.

"Yes!" Draco, sorry, _Damien_ , pulls out a bottle of hair gel from his pocket. "Finally my sister forcing me to have this pays off!" He slicks a bit of it on his hair, then runs his hands over it.

"Here, lemme do it," I say, slicking his hair back.

"If you wanted to touch my hair, you coulda just asked," he winks. I scowl.

"I like Nolan, remember?" I say sourly. Matt yells in triumph. I give him a weird look.

"I wanted to see Damien with Draco hair, so I got it on tape! Oh, this is gold..." he trails off. I finish with Damien's hair, then glare.

"Delete it. Now," I demand. Matt shakes his head, and dances away from me.

"Sending it to Nolan now...sent!" He grins. A few girls walk past.

"Oh my gosh, is that Draco Malfoy?"

"Draco Malfoy doesn't exist..."

"But Tom Felton does." Damien grins.

"Yes! This is awesome!" I roll my eyes.

"Hey, everybody! Wanna see a video?" Matt yells, grinning.

"Oh no you bloody _don't_ -" I throw myself at him, tackling him and snatching his phone. It has a password, dammit!

"Hey Matttt...what's your password?"

"Uh uh uh. Not gonna work this time," he shakes his head. I swear. I look down at my phone, which is now ringing. Nolan.

"DAMMIT, WHY THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING?!" I scream at the phone, then answer it.

"I heard the video," I can _feel_ his smirk through the phone.

"So did I. You know its not true," I say. Damien catches on first.

"IT IS SO! SHE DOESNT WANT TO CONFESS HER UNDYING LOVE!"

"Shut it, Malfoy," I tell him.

"Yeah, I know its true, Els. Don't worry," Nolan assures me.

"Good. Well-wait! F you," I glare at my phone.

"I _knew_ you wanted to-"

"When I get back to the hospital, I am gonna get Nurse O'Connell to bring you in.." I trail off, leaving the threat hanging. He hangs up.

"Wimp," I mutter. Malfoy glances at me.

"First fight, eh?" I walk away from him.

"I know how you feel. Wait, used to feel," I mumble to Drake.

"It's annoying, huh?"

"Hell yes," I sigh.

I shift in my seat beside Myra and John. Damien keeps throwing paper balls at me. I turn around and stick out my tongue. He does it back. I make a face. He makes an even more ludicrous one. I open one of the paper balls. Can I come with you to visit your boyfriend? Or do you want to be alone? I scribble a sarcastic reply. Oh, no, the more the merrier. May as well make it a threesome. When he reads it, he looks up and nods eagerly. I shake my head, smiling.

"Miss Ra, Mr Malfoy-Tolton. Mr Tolton. Detention!" Mr Rey sings. I snicker. So do the rest of the class.

"All of you. Detention." That shuts us up.

"Bloody Malfoy. Always getting everyone into detention," Myra mumbles.

"So..." Damien bounces a paper ball off the wall. The rest of the class glares at him.

"Hey, don't look at me! Its her fault for bringing up her boyfriend!"

"Bloody hell, I don't have a boyfriend, and you were the one to bring him up!" I say. Damien raises his eyebrows.

"Well, this video-" his finger hovers above the button.

"Don't. Don't even think-" he presses the button.

"NOOO!" I scream, blocking out the sound, and lunge for it. I grab it, and delete the video.

"Ha!"

"He still has it, you know. Matt sent it to pretty much everyone. Well, all his friends, anyway," he explains. Myra digs out her phone.

"Ooh, I got it! What is it?"

"Don't you dare play it now, or-" she hits the play button. My voice rings out (you can hear the sour sarcasm, thankfully) across the room.

"Ella, do you have a confession to make?"

"Can you not hear the sarcasm? Its not actually _true_ ," I say.

"Oh, the romance! The girl of the hero's dreams falls off a roof, and he jumps after her, nearly dying in the process, and the girl confesses she loves him!" a random girl gushes. I look at her.

"A, I never confessed zip. B, who even are you? And I don't mean that rudely," I add.

"Diane MacCarthy," she answers cheerfully.

"That would be too cliché for my taste," I say warily.

"That's how it all starts!" Diane squeaks.

"Hmm."

"So..." Damien says again.

"Oh shut up, Draco," I mumble.

"Attention all students! School is finishing early today due to it being the last day! Have a good holidays!" A voice calls on the speaker.

"You may go," the teacher comes in and dismisses us.

"Woo!" Damien screams. I grin. Two weeks off school. Great. I rush out the doors, cheering with everyone else. Then head to the hospital for another test. Sigh.

"Do you remember anything?"

"Nope," I reply, popping the p. Dr Haol looks troubled.

"Well, you may go now. See you in two weeks."

"Yeah. Bye!"

"ELLA RA! GET YOUR BUTT UP AND CHANGED RIGHT NOW!" I open my eyes, alarmed, and see Myra yelling at me.

"What? Why?"

"Well, there's this dance coming up, and the others have forced me to go, so you're going too!" she explains. I groan.

"Come on, Ella. We're going as well," Marina says. Marina?! And I see Maren standing behind her.

"We brought Maggie too, so we could introduce you," Myra tells me.

"Hey, I'm Ella," I smile.

"Well, they already told you my name, so..." Maggie trails off. Huh. She seems pretty cool.

"Well, lets _go_!" Myra shouts. We pile into her car (after I get changed) and drive off to the mall. Maren looks around.

"Uhm...where's the nearest dress shop?"

"Over...there?"

"I think so."

"Let's try that." As you can tell, we aren't very experienced at this. We walk into the shop. Myra holds up a black dress and hands it to Maren.

"Try it on, you might like it," she monotones. Maren looks different. Something about her...

"OH MY GOD, YOU DYED YOUR HAIR!" I shout. The clerk sends me a stern look. Maren's hair is now blonde.

"It looks...good," I say in a quieter voice.

"Thanks. Now, you four need dresses before I try this one." We end up going to the changing rooms with four things each. I'll skip through the boring details, but the only one who purchased something was me. Shocker. It was a cream-gold colour with sequins. I don't know anything else about how to describe dresses, but it had sleeves. Straps. Yeah.

"Well, let's try...that place!" Myra says, pointing to a bright red sign. I shrug and follow her.

"Okay, I don't know about dresses, but this is awesome," she holds up a red, black and yellow dress. When she comes out, Marina nods.

"No buts. That's it." Its mainly black, but with one white, one red, and one yellow stripe. Its sort of tight around her torso, then loosens out a bit. It comes together at her neck, with thin black straps around her neck.

"Thank God that's over with," she mumbles, then freezes.

"Maggie," she hisses, then points to a dress conspiratorially. It's white, sleeveless, and has Aztec-y patterns on it. We bag it.

"So, just you and me, Marina," Maren says.

"Yeah. I guess we just grab random stuff and try it on?"

"You betcha." Was her reply. Maren goes first. She comes out in many...showy, lets say, dresses. She glares at us, before going back in. Finally, she comes out in a black and grey dress. It's loose, sleeveless, with a high neckline. A chord is tied around the middle, and the rest of the dress falls to just above her knees. Not too girly, not too casual. It's perfect for Maren. And, hey, I'm getting this describing thing down!

"I'm still wearing bike shorts underneath," she grumbles. Next is Marina. At first she comes out in a neon orange dress which isn't very, uh, modest.

"Who chose _this_?" she exclaims. I raise a feeble hand.

"Well, its pretty funny," I say. She just shakes her head at me. Next, she's wearing a white dress with puffy sleeves, and a massive ruffled skirt. I laugh out loud at that one.

"Oh, my God, that's hilarious," I gasp. I can hear her sifting through the remaining ones, and pick one out. She has on a pale blue dress with intricate black beading on the top part, in the shape of birds. It's strapless, but not too showy. The skirt bit has roses and vine patterns sewn into it. There's a thin, see-through white layer on top of that.

"Marina," Maggie says seriously. "If you don't buy that, I will personally make sure you don't live to try on another dress."

"I actually like this one," Marina says, nodding.

"Cool! We're done! Lets go get some chow," Myra exclaims, jumping out of her seat. I swear, sometimes she reminds me so much of Drake. We stride into the food court. Myra looks like the battery from that ad. The one where he plays table tennis with himself? That one.

"She could be Drake's freaking twin," I mumble. Marina hears.

"You can say that again." The rest of us just get Macca's. We sit down at a table, and put down our bags. Maren flexes her arms.

"Jeez, my arms are sore. Never again am I doing that," she groans, and takes a bite into her chicken McBacon something burger. Then Myra comes along. She's hefting a tray with a huge burger, a large plate of butter chicken, rice, and naan, and a massive milkshake.

"Woah, girl, that's...a lot of food," Maren eyes it warily.

"Yeah, well, I'm a growing girl. Teenagers gotta eat!" she says, digging into her burger.

"How is she so skinny?" I whisper to Maggie.

"No idea," she whispers back.

"Yo, you look like you over-ordered. Can I help you finish that?" A guy sits himself down at our table. We all give him weird looks. Myra is protectively hugging her tray.

"Who the hell are you and why do you want to steal my food?" she asks possessively. I stifle a snort.

"So, uh, I was dared to come sit with you guys for a while, so...here I am. Yay," he adds awkwardly.

"Well, _anyway_ , I heard that, Ella, and have you seen these abs?" Myra lifts up her shirt a bit, and sure enough, she has a four pack.

"Strength needs fuel," she says seriously.

"Woah. How does a girl have better abs than me?" the guy says, shocked. Myra grins.

"Because you are a lazy butthole, yah?" she replies in a German accent.

"Well, I cant argue on that..."

"So, you came over, you gonna leave now?" Maren asks.

"Nope. I'm good. I might just come with you guys," he says, lacing his hands behind his head. Myra slurps loudly from her milkshake. We all turn to her.

"You've already finished it?!" I exclaim. She grins sheepishly.

"Yeah. Hey, its vanilla! Vanilla's good," she defends.

"Sure," I mumble.

"So, what brings you five to the mall this fine," he glances out the window to the rainy sky. "Uh, miserable, day."

"Dress shopping for the dumb dance," Myra grumbles.

"It's ridiculous, we cant wear jeans and hoodies," Maggie says.

"Okay, anti-shoppers? What, do you-" My phone rings. I look at the caller and scowl.

"Honestly..." I answer. "What the hell do you want now?"

"That's no way to talk to your beloved, El," Nolan tsks.

"You're not my beloved, you idiot," I retort.

"Ooh, its Nolan!" Myra crows. I flip her off.

"How do you know?" the guy asks, curious.

"Cause they have this thing, I dunno. No one does, really," she explains.

"We do not have a thing!"

"What about this, huh?" Myra plays the video Matt recorded. I glare.

"It was sarcasm!"

"Sure."

"You can go to Slytherin," I mutter.

"Hey, that's cool, Slytherin's awesome," she says. I gape.

"That's what he said!" I exclaim.

"I believe that it's 'that's what she said'," random guy puts in.

"No, Nolan said that."

"All the houses are cool," Maggie says.

"Hufflepuff!" Myra mutters under her breath.

"Well, interesting as this has been, I'm gonna go," the guy stands up.

"See ya," Myra says.

"I'm Peyton, by the way. Later," Peyton walks off.

"Well, that was weird," Marina notes.

"Yeahhhh. So, you guys wanna come round to my place later on?" Maren asks.

"Yeah, sure," I reply.

"Make it a sleepover. I'll bring food," Myra puts in.

"Okay. See you guys then, I guess."

"See you."

 **Sorry about the language, even though there wasn't that much. It was still there, so it still counts!**


	11. We Discover Myra's OTP

**A/N**

 **Okay, I just have a warning:**

 **I am** ** _bad_** **at writing scenes which involve sappiness or romance, so, as you may have noticed, I have tried to avoid them. But from now on, I just wanna point out that if somethings badly written, just let me know how to improve it, okay? Okay.**

 **Enjoy!**

"C'mon, El, hospital sleepover. Us three, a crappy hospital bed, and sleeping bags. What's not to love?" Stanley asks.

"Oh, I dunno, the whole fact that I'm going to Maren's tonight!" I snap back.

"Aw, El, you know I cant come to that!" Nolan pouts.

"Exactly," I mutter.

"Oh yeah, you two have that thing," Stanley notes.

"What?"

"Well, Nolan told me about you-"

"Okay! I need a break from you. Being in this hospital with you all the times getting boring. And its the holidays! I don't wanna be taking dumb memory jogger tests," I rant.

"Yeah, those tests do suck," Nolan nods.

"Right. And you've got nowhere. Apart from the lunch thing," I add at his protests.

"Well, I'm coming. So's Malfoy and Tweedledee and Tweedledum," Stanley says.

"What? No, its-"

"That's final." Ugh.

"Fine. Come. See if I care. Face Maren's wrath."

"Hey, we don't hate each other anymore, right? She'll love me being there," Stanley boasts.

"Mhm, sure," I say.

"Its true!"

"Yep. Whatever. I'm going."

"I'm coming."

"And I'm bloody laying here while you two are arguing over my face!" Nolan interrupts pointedly.

"Sorry, mate. Well, see you there, El," Stanley waves.

"Yeah. See you." Deja vu. I already have a bad feeling about this.

I knock on the door. Myra opens it.

"Hey! Come in! Smellfoy, Dumb and Dumber, and Stinky are invading," she ushers me in. I snicker at the names.

"Yo, Ella! Come join us!" David yells, hiding behind a couch. He ducks down as a toilet sails over his head.

"Yeah, no," I retort, sending a roll flying at where his head was. He comes back up just in time for it to hit him. I start cracking up. Maggie high fives me.

"Good hit! We need more ammo," she adds in a lower voice.

"Damiens! Attack!" Damien yells, popping up holding a roll.

"No, man. The Damiens? How lame can you get?" Matt asks.

"The fiddlesticks!" Stanley yells. The girls and I look at each other, then crack up. The boys charge us while we're laughing. Oops.

"Okay! Okay! You win!" They stop assaulting us.

"So..." Stanley says.

"Well, I looked up these dumb games on the internet. So, wanna play the camera game?" Maren asks.

"Okay." We all get in a circle.

"So we pass it...and wait for it to go off?" Damien clarifies.

"Yep. I said they were dumb," Maren says. She passes the camera to Myra, who passes to Damien, then Matt, me, Maggie, Marina, David, and it flashes on Stanley. We examine the picture.

"Oh, God, delete it!" he moans.

"Hell no! That's a keeper!" Maren grins.

"Well, this is seriously boring. So, you got another game?" Myra asks.

"Ok, this is where everyone writes down the name of a boy, passes it on and writes the name of a girl, then the next person writes something the boy says, and the last person writes something the girl says. So, start writing!" I agree with Maren. These games are lame. I write Draco Malfoy, then fold it over and pass it to Maggie. I think for a minute, then write Myra. Dunno why. Next, I print Do you like eating whale? And lastly, my reply is Heck yeah I like ironing! I dunno, but it supposed to be random.

"Okay, open yours up!" Marina announces. I do so. And crack up. Nolan, Katy Perry. Hehe. Sentences? You know what material this shirt is? Yeah, gardenings the bomb diggity! Bomb diggity? Who even says that?

"Bomb diggity? Who?" I demand. Myra raises a sheepish hand. I roll my eyes at her.

"Draco Malfoy and...Lady Gaga? Can you tie a balloon? I like meat! What the actual heck..." David reads. Matt unfolds his eagerly, and raises his eyebrows at the paper.

"...um. Nick Jonasand Myra. Oh my gosh, you guys are so awkward and lame, you're perfect for each other. Are you retarded, cause you're pretty special. I stepped on a corn flake, now I'm a cereal killer. Wow. Myra, you should give him a call," he comments.

"Oh, can it, Matt. Nate and Dana are my OTP, anyway." We all stare at her.

"Uh, what?" Damien asks.

"In Camp Rock 2. Nate and Dana." Still no response. "Y'know, introducing me!" We didn't comment on her singing. She huffs.

"Whatever."

"Well, uh, these games suck, but its pretty funny how bad they are. Ready for the next one?" We nod. "Balloon dare." We look over at the pile of multi-coloured balloons.

"You pop one, then have to do the dare inside. Pretty much truth or dare, without the truth," Maren explains.

"I'm first!" Matt yells, grabbing a balloon. He tries stomping on it, but keeps missing.

"Why don't you pop you dumb balloon!" he shouts at it, and eventually Maren has to get a needle to pop it with. Matt reads it.

"Have two people make you a drink with gross ingredients, then drink it. Ew!"

"Who's making it?" Damien asks.

"Uh, random selector!" Someone types our names into a computer (no idea where it came from), then hits a button. In the end, Stanley and I are in the kitchen.

"Okay. What are you thinking?" I ask.

"Gross as possible."

"Um...green curry paste? What's that?" I ask. Stanley shrugs.

"I dunno. Put it in." He reaches around in the pantry.

"Aha! Here we are, mini pickles!" I wince.

"Gross. I like it. Put two in," I say.

"I approve."

"Ooh! Dejon mustard! This stuff is nasty!"

"Pepper sauce, definitely!"

"Hell yes to the garlic flakes!" In five minutes, we have concocted a completely disgusting, foul smelling drink. I pnch my nose.

"Ew, this is disgusting," I mumble.

"Yeah, it kinda is," Stanley replies. Suddenly, I slip over the floor, and skid backwards. Stanley catches me, and puts down the drink.

"You okay there?" I turn around. And nearly scream. His face is centimetres from mine. And he's...leaning in?! Oh no, oh no. My face is flaming, I'm sure.

"Just dandy," I give a faint smile, then try stand up. Since I'm already in an awkward position, I slip again and fall on my butt. Way to go, Ella. I hear Stanley chuckling.

"Let's take the drink in," I say stiffly. He nods, unaffected.

"Here ya go, Matteo!" Stanley announces.

"What's in it? Actually, I'd rather not know." H grips the drink, and takes a huge swig. I stifle a giggle. He gags.

"HOLY CRUD, WHAT THE HELL DID YOU TWO PUT IN THIS THING?!" he screams.

"Uh, you probably don't wanna know..." I trail off.

"Hey, its better than it could be. Be glad Ella didn't let me pee in it," Stanley adds. Everyone makes an ew face. Matt swallows the rest down.

"Never again," he mutters.

"I'll go next," Myra announces, popping a balloon with ease. Matt gapes at her. We all laugh.

"Put ice down your pants until it melts. If you're a girl, in your bra too. Oh, great. Who wrote these?" she demands.

"My brother. I gotta say, he's good at this," Maren observes dryly, grinning at Myra..

"Yeah, great. Go get the ice." Myra walks out of the room, and comes back hopping.

"What's the aim of this? To make sure I can never wear clothes again comfortably?" she groans.

"I'll go while we wait for that to melt," I offer, and grab a balloon. I take a deep breath, then clap my hands on either side of it. It pops with ease.

"Seriously, how'd you do that?" Matt asks.

"Imagined it was your head," I reply, then read the dare.

"Stay still for the next two minutes. Have another player try and make you laugh using whatever means she/he can think of," I read.

"We'll select the person with the generator again." It lands on Damien. Joy. He winks.

"Your time starts now. Damien, try make her move." Damien reaches out a finger and pokes me. I don't flinch. He tries singing, screaming, dancing, and a whole lot of other stuff.

"Fifteen seconds, Damien! Hurry up!" Myra calls. Yes, I can wait this out. I have to win this. Then Damien grins. He turns and says something I cant hear to the group. They grin and nod. I resist the urge to raise my eyebrows. Then he leans in. And keeps coming. What, is he going to _kiss_ me? Oh, he wants me to recoil. Well, I only have about ten seconds, so I wont move. He's only about an inch away now.

"Five seconds!" Myra calls. Damien then spits on my face. My hand goes up to wipe it off. Then I realize what I've done.

"Crap!" I exclaim. Damien cracks up.

"No fair," I grumble.

"Yes fair. Now, who's next?" We continue playing for hours.

"Okay. Movie time!" Matt yells. He holds up three movies.

"The Human Centipede? Hell to the freaking no!" I exclaim.

"Okay, what about High School Musical?" He asks. We're about halfway through it (don't ask why we decided to watch it. We had bad decision making skills, let's just say that) when Matt's eyes widen. "Stanley, can I talk to you for a minute!"

"Uh, yeah, man. Sure," he follows Matt out of the room. I dont hear any of what they're saying.

Matt comes storming out a few minutes later, after yanking David and Damien in with them.

"I gotta go," he mumbles. The other three come out, David looking somewhat guilty. Hmm.

I walked into the hospital, seriously tired.

"Dr Haol?" I ask the desk lady.

"57." I thank her, then head upstairs. I enter the room. Dr Haol, Nurse O'Connell and Nolan are already in there. Dr Haol looks exasperated, Nolan irritated and Nurse O'Connell carefully neutral. She loojs up and sees me. I can practically feel her relief.

"Thank God-um, I'm glad you're here, Ella. We have been making progress..."

"Progress? The boy refuses to tell us anything!" Dr Haol interrupts.

"Some of my life is personal, you know! And I doubt you wanna know some of the details," Nolan retorts.

"Yeah, you honestly dont want details. Ugh," I shudder. Nolan nods.

"See! Even she thinks its personal!"

"Well if you don't want to tell us we cant help you."

"I dont wanna tell you! Do you wanna be caught up in crappy teen drama?" He asks pointedly.

"If it means getting your memories back!" Dr Haol exclaims. Nolan sighs.

"I remembered kissing someone, okay?" He says, frustated.

" _That_ was what you didn't want to tell us?"

"Hey, my personal lifes my personal life," Nolan raises his palms. "If you want more deets, there was _more than one_ , not at the same time, though, and it happened in a _closet_ -" Nurse O'Connell cuts him off.

"Okay, we get it. We don't need more information," she sighs. "Why did we have to get stuck with this teenage boy? Any other one, I'm sure..." I snicker to myself.

"So you've remembered lunch, and doing... _things_ in a closet."

"I wasn't _doing things_ , Doc, I was kissing someone. Honestly, adults these days."

"So what links them?" He finishes.

"Uh...they're both insignificant and random things?" Nolan offers.

"Insignificant- bloody hell, boy, it meant nothing to you? Then why-"

"Reputation. Some people stupidly _care_ about those," I cut in.

"Hey, I met my friends through it!" Nolan protests. I burst out laughing. I know he doesn't intend for it, but it sounds like he's saying he met Stanley and them through...kissing them. Oh, jeez.

"You met Stanley and them in a closet, ay? Doing _things_?" I question. He looks horrified.

"No way! Why even..." he trails off.

"Ella, have you remembered anything?"

"The days before it are crystal clear. Its just some things from that one day," I explain.

"So, when am I getting back to school?" Nolan asks.

"You have a shattered knee that's barely started to heal, along with a deformed bone, and a dozen cuts and bruises, and you want to go back to school?" Dr Haol exclaims.

"What about your fangirls? They'll be horrified," I add. Nolan shrugs.

"They'll live. Besides, jumping off a building, saving a damsel in distress is pretty badass and heroic," he smirks.

"Yes, they'll be all over your _deformed bone_ ," I agree sarcastically.

"Well, according to this video Matt sent me, it is pretty attra-" I interrupt.

"Shut up or youll have another bruise to worry about. And I don't think these two would stop me," I threaten.

"Yes, ma'am," he salutes.

"End of the holidays. I've had enough of you for a lifetime," Dr Haol says. Nolan looks ecstatic.

"But I'll be pushing your wheelchair," the nurse adds firmly.

"Oh come on. If I have a friend-"

"Maybe, Mr Kodenz. Don't push it," she warns. He nods solemnly.

"So. How long have the holidays got?" He asks. I give a wry smile.

"Two days. Think you can wait that long?"

"Garde better be ready. Cause Nolan is back, baby!" He fist pumps. I snort.

"We'll see," I reply evenly.

 **So that's that. And...I'm getting United as One tomorrow! Yeep! It's also my birthday tomorrow. Huh, I'll be old.**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoyed.**

 **Peace,**

 **HV**


	12. Okay, I'm Thinking I Like You

**A/N**

 **Hey guys! What's up? I don't much to say, just read the note at the bottom of the chapter, because it's important, okay?**

 **Enjoy!**

I slam my locker. No sign on Nolan yet. I'm not sure if that's good or bad, since everyone seems to be teasing me these days. Then I hear the doofus twins. Wait. That's not right. I hear _Damien_ and David shouting in the hallway.

"Make way, make way, His Highness is coming through!" I roll my eyes. Nolan is being pushed by Nurse O'Connell. They stop a few feet away from me.

"And here's Her Highness herself! How are you today, my fine lady?" David bows exaggeratedly.

"Where's Matt?" I ask. Their faces fall.

"Uh, technical issues?" Damien tries. I shake my head. I spot him walking the other way. I run after him.

"Hey, why aren't you with the others?" I ask him.

"We had a...disagreement."

"What about?"

"Its, uh, personal," he mutters quietly. I leave it at that. Suddenly Drake bounces toward me, Adam following far less enthusiastically at his side.

"Ella! The dances on Wednesday!" He says excitedly.

"Yeah. Two days. Whoop," I say. His smile widens.

"Guess who I'm going with." My jaw drops.

"YOU ACTUALLY ASKED HER? WHEN THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT?" I shout. He looks taken aback.

"No, no, Sarah dared her to come with me, and she doesn't back down from dares, so were going together!" he explains.

"And this is amazing...how?"

"Because I can show her how awesome I can be, and she'll like me!" Hmm. I glance at Adam.

"I agree with whatever you're thinking," he says.

"Well, okay then. I guess us two will just be loners for the dance," I say to Adam.

"Yeah, Myra's going with Wade, so...I dunno. I could ask some random girl," he muses.

"Nah. I don't wanna be the only loner," I say.

"Fair enough."

"You could always try Marina," I say.

"I have a date, so sorry Adam," Marina says as she walks past us. Good timing is like, her hobby or something. Jeez.

"So, Ella, what did Matt say?" Nolan rolls up. "Cause I got no idea. I'm guessing its an amnesia thing."

"Personal issues. You remembered anything else? Any _small, insignificant_ things?" I ask. He grins.

"What, you jealous?" I scoff at that.

"In your dreams. No, I'm just thinking maybe you'll never remember the big stuff," I tell him.

"Well, anyway, you need to help me with my plan!" Drake interrupts, still bouncing.

"Jeez, how can you bounce that long?" I ask.

"Extreme fitness," he replies. I don't know if he's joking.

"Anyway, what plan? To impress D-" he cuts me off frantically.

"How ridiculous! No, why don't I explain on the way to art class!" he says loudly.

"But-"

"No buts." I sigh, and let Drake drag me down the hall away from Adam and Nolan.

"You cant just announce it in front of people!" he whisper yells.

"Why not? Everyone already thinks you like her, well, maybe not so much since her episode, but..." I trail off.

"If Nolan got word of that, then the whole freaking school would know!" he exclaims. Well, that's true.

"So, your plan to impress Daniela?" I whisper.

"Yeah. How do I do it?" he asks.

"I dunno. I mean, she's not really your normal girl, so I think you just need to be...like you normally are," I explain.

"Great advice. That's what _everyone_ says, and-" Suddenly I hear a snarky voice.

"Hey, Drake. Having fun with your girlfriend? Oh wait, you don't have one anymore," Beth says sarcastically. Beth; aka Avril's friend that screamed that one time.

"Beth, chill out. We're cool. Stop annoying him," Avril sends us an apologetic glance. See, this is what I like about Avril, and what Drake probably likes too. Her laidback, chilled out attitude. She seems pretty nice.

"No, he dumped you, Avril!" Beth exclaims. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Drama queen, much?

"Yeah, Beth, he dumped _me_ , not you. So why are you so pissed off?" Avril asks, raising an eyebrow.

"He-he dumped you!" Avril rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, no kidding. We don't hate each other and aren't at eternal war or whatever, so who cares?" Beth huffs and storms off. I snicker, then glance at Avril to see if she heard.

"It's alright. I feel the same. The only reason I keep her around is to keep my mom happy. She loves her, its the weirdest thing," she explains. "The daughter she never had, I guess." An idea occurs to me, then. I look at Drake, then back at Avril.

"Hey, Drake, does Avril know why you dumped her?"

Maths class. Ms Carpin is scowling at me. I look at her in disbelief.

"It wasn't me! I swear!" I protest.

"This is your fourth detention you've gotten since you've come to Garde High, Ms Ra. This is honestly wearing old." I hold up three fingers.

"I have started none of those things that got me detention!" I shoot a quick glare at the boy sitting beside the window. I scowl.

"Well, you're still getting it. I expect to see you on the clean up committee for Wednesday's dance," she says firmly. I sigh. She turns back to her lecture. Drake nudges me.

"Hard luck, huh? That Nolan, man, load of trouble," he shakes his head. One thing I like about Drake? That he doesn't tease me about Nolan like some of the others do. His face is suddenly split in an unholy grin.

"Hey, you know, this is how it started with me and Daniela, and now I'm pretty sure I'm in love with her," he wiggles his eyebrows. I scoff.

"That ain't happening. Besides, I still like Stanley," I mutter back. Something tugs on my mind. Another memory, I'm sure. I try to grasp it, but it slips away. I can remember practically everything, until Nolan said that thing about his PS3. I don't know anything after that. But somehow, I get the feeling that that's the most important part.

"Well, I dunno. I guess we'll find out."

I scowl at the clock. Twenty minutes left of detention. I seriously hate Ms Carpin. The door opens a crack. I look up, along with the other tortured souls in detention. Stanley comes in and winks. He hands a note to Mr Rey. He scans it, scowling.

"Fine. Take her. Cant argue with Ms Carpin," he says. "Ella, go with Stanley. Ms Carpin wants you." I send him a confused look. He simply grins. When the door closes, I turn on him.

"Ms Carpin wants me, huh?" I ask sceptically.

"Well, there's this place I wanna show you, and I couldn't wait til after detention," he says sheepishly.

"Well, where's this mysterious place?" I ask.

"Somewhere," he says vaguely.

"Okay. How are we gonna get there?"

"An epic creation of intrigue and great power." Turns out, it was a motorbike. A bloody motorbike.

"Okay, so put on the helmet, and put your arms around my waist," Stanley instructs, holding out a spare helmet.

"You know, I was recently in a near death accident, and I don't think helmets make much difference," I say.

"Well, this time round, I'm here, not that dope Nolan," he replies jokingly. He sits down on the bike.

"You're calling your best friend a dope? What does that say about you?" I tease.

"Just get on the damn bike," he sighs in frustration. I oblige.

"You know, if I didn't knew better, I would think that this is all some dumb ploy to get closer to me," I joke. He grins.

"How do you know that's not what it is?" he zooms off before I can ask him what he means. We zip along the highway, wind rushing through my visor. It feels so amazing. Like flying. And I know how it feels to free fall. He pulls into a forest path, and rolls along it.

"This isn't gonna be some cliché thing where you take me to a forest, right?" I question.

"Nope. Its even more cliché than that," he replies.

"What, we gonna watch the sunset?"

"Maybe." he winks. Its kinda nice, just to get away from the other guys. I mean, they're cool and all, but I just need a break from the teasing. After another five minutes, he stops the bike.

"We're here." I look around.

"Where?"

"Look over there," Stanley points behind me. I put my hands on my hips.

"I am not falling for that-" he grabs my shoulders, and turns me around. My mouth opens.

"Woah." An abandoned, half crumbled castle lies in wait. "I am so there." I run towards it, and feel Stanley chuckling as he jogs behind me. I stride through the doorway, then glance around. Its got some of the old furnishings, too.

"This is awesome!"

"Of course it is, I brought you here," he says cockily. I shove him, and yell, "tag!"

"Oh no you didn't!" I hear as I sprint up the stairs. So what, he's faster, I'm smaller. And to me, that's a better advantage. I dive behind a tall chest. Stanley jogs past, looking around curiously. I suppress my snicker, and stand up quietly once he's out of sight. I head into the nearest room. A four poster bed sits in one corner, and an ancient desk. I exit and head up the next flight of stairs after I heard Stanley shut himself in a room on accident. He's pounding on the stone slab, willing it to open. That probably gives me about five minutes. I race up the last two flights of stairs, and enter a small, circular room. I see the final stairs just ahead. I climb up them, and am meet with a gust of wind. It blows onto my face as I ascend to the turret. Oh, my God, this is AWESOME! I'm standing on the top of a castle, in a turret, overlooking Chicago. The wall is about chest height, so I wont fall off. I lean over, and gaze at my city. My home, now. I've done some pretty dumb things here, nearly gotten killed, passed out for the first time, and scored a goal in soccer. But I wouldn't have it any other way. Well, except Nolan and my injuries. Yeah, that's something I could live without.

"Nowhere to run." Stanley stands on the top step, grinning at me. I back up, but my back hits the wall. Crap. I look around frantically, but there's no escape. Damn. He's getting closer, now. I keep pressing myself firmly to the wall. He puts his hands on either side of me.

"So. Nice view, huh?" I furrow my brow, confused.

"Well, yeah, I guess its nice, for a city-" he cuts me off.

"I don't mean the city." He keeps staring at me, waiting for me to get it. I suddenly do.

"Well, personally, I think it's a little average-" Again with the bloody cutting me off! Let people speak, man! How does he cut me off? He kisses me. Yeah, I know, unexpected. So I just stand there for a bit, before actually reacting. And kissing him back. Somehow, it jogs my memory. I don't know why, though. Holy frijoles. But what the hey, I'll roll with it. He pulls away, grinning.

"So, ice cream?" he offers.

"I thought you were never gonna get me ice cream again?" I ask teasingly.

"Eh, I never keep my promises anyway," he shrugs.

And that is how my life took a deep nose dive, on course for rock bottom.

 **Okay, so I have a question:**

 **How long do you want this story to be? And do you want a sequel?**

 **Because in my plan for this story, I can either:**

 **End it in a few chapters**

 **End it in a few chapters and have a sequel**

 **Make this and the sequel merged into one, so it's a lot longer**

 **What do you think? PM me or review**

 **Until next time,**

 **HV out**


	13. I Get Out Of Doing Clean-Up, But

**A/N**

 **Okay, so this chapter is either going to be:**

 **A: The most interesting chapter**

 **B: The most boring chapter**

 **Why?**

 **Because it has a pretty big info dump, which I tried to make a bit lighter so it was easier to read, but if you can't, that's fine.**

 **But interesting, because the shit finally hits the fan. I've already told you that I'm not so great on the emotional scenes, so don't hate if Ella's too unemotional, okay?**

 **And now, without further ado...**

 **Chapter 13!**

The day of the dance. It had half the girls swooning pathetically. I snort whenever I see one. So far, I'm still going it alone. Oh well, I can just go with Adam if no one asks me. He doesn't have a date either-

"Hey, Ella! Guess who's got a date for the dance?" Adam yells down the hall. I gape.

"For real? Who?"

"Naomi Waters. Met her in detention," he grins.

"Ooh, another one?" I grin back.

"Yep. Anyway, she seemed cool, so I asked her, and BAM! I'm not dateless!" Well, this kinda means I have to find someone.

"Thanks, Adam, now I have to find someone to go with," I say, mock angry.

"Meh. Someone'll ask you. You're pretty popular, you know," he says, shrugging.

"I don't just wanna go with some random pervert, you know. I have standards," I tell him.

"Whatever. Ask one of your boyfriends, if they don't have dates already," he calls over his shoulder.

"Boyfriends?" I ask, confused. Nolan rolls up beside me.

"Boyfriends, eh? Who're the lucky guys you're cheating on?" he asks. I scowl.

"No one. And shouldn't someone be wheeling you around?" I ask sceptically. He grins.

"Well, technically, yes, but realistically, no," he offers. I just shake my head.

"So, no date?" I shake my head again.

"You could go with me. But the actual dancing part would kinda be a drag," he says. I snort.

"Oh yes, pushing a wheelchair is just the grand entrance I pictured," I reply.

"Hey, I bet I'm the only one who's asked you. So, why not? You can dance with other guys there," he says.

"You bet you're the only one who's asked me? What the hell?"

"Uh, that didn't come out right. But uh, do you want to?" he tries again.

"Oh, what the heck. Sure. Tell all your buddies so they can tease me mercilessly."

"Cool. I'll pick you up-"

"You're on a bloody wheelchair, are currently living in a hospital, and cant drive. How about I pick _you_ up at seven?" I ask.

"Well, okay. I don't really want Nurse O'Connell to chaperone, anyway. Gahh," he shudders.

"Well, see you then."

I push the wheelchair out the door. "See you at eleven!" I call over my shoulder to Nurse O'Connell.

"Take all the time you need!" she calls back.

"Oh, I'm allowing extra time for this guy," I jerk my thumb at Nolan. "I'm betting he'll want to stick around. Plus, I'm the clean up committee for tonight," I reply. I shove the wheelchair in the boot, and Nolan gets into the car. I accelerate, and head towards the school.

"So, you looking forward to this?" I ask.

"Yeah. Sure. Sitting on a chair while everybody else does weird, most likely inappropriate dancing. Sounds great," he replies, flashing a thumbs up.

"Yes, very. And you can help with the clean up. You can hold the bag," I offer.

"How kind of you." I pull into the parking lot, and open the door for Nolan, getting his wheelchair out of the boot too.

"Such a gentleman," he deadpans.

"Such a lady," I retort. He makes a face as I push him toward the entrance.

"Wait up!" I hear a shout. I spin and see Myra dragging a tanned guy with shoulder-length brown hair behind her.

"Hey, guys. This is Wade," she says. He offers his hand, and I shake it.

"Ella. You probably know Nolan," I say. He nods.

"We've met," Nolan says briefly, his eyes never leaving Wade. Myra seems to notice this too, and quickly ushers us inside.

"Look its Nolan! And...Ella?" Oh crap. Then it dawns on me.

"You did this on _purpose_ , didn't you?" I hiss at Nolan. He looks up at me innocently.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he smiles sweetly. Sweetly? Nope.

"Hey, uh, there's a ramp!" Nolan tries to stop me.

"What?" then he starts rolling down it. I start cracking up. This is too funny. Then I realize that the food and drink table is at the end of his course.

"Crap!" I sprint down the slope after him, determined to stop him from possibly getting struck in the head with glass from the punch bowl. My outstretched hands finally latch onto the bar. I skid to a halt, and pull with all my might. The wheelchair stops less than a metre from the table. I sigh in relief.

"That the grand entrance you were looking for?" Nolan says in disbelief.

"Yeah. Totally," I reply. I see Myra leaning on Wade, laughing hysterically. They head over to us.

"Good one, El. Really," she grins. Behind them, the door opens again, and Adam, Drake, Daniela, and I'm guessing Naomi walk in. I hear a few surprised whispers, "Doesn't she hate him? Why is she here with him?" being the top contender. Daniela is scowling, typical.

"Now look what you did," she grumbles.

"What Sarah did, really, since she dared yo-"

"Yeah, yeah. Where is she, anyway? I don't see her," she interrupts Drake. He shrugs.

"How should I know? Hey, why is everyone staring at us?" he asks, confused. And he seems genuinely unsure. God help us. Daniela rolls her eyes.

"Because _I'm_ here with _you_ , idiot. People are nosy these days," she replies.

"Ooh, food!" Drake rushes over to the table, running right past me. I raise an eyebrow. Adam and Naomi come toward us.

"Hey, El. This is Naomi," he gestures to her awkwardly.

"Hey. I'm pretty sure you already know who this is, so I'll just stand here while you talk," she offers, grinning.

"I wanna know who Marina's date is," I tell him.

"Yeah, she sounded pretty excited," he replies. I hear a familiar voice. My head turns.

"Woah," Adam mutters. Marina's hair is in a waterfall braid, and she has minimal makeup on. Next to her is Joseph. So that's her date. I swear the whole hall is staring at them as they walk down the ramp. Eventually, everyone goes back to their dancing and whatever. Our group crowds in the corner.

"So, Daniela, have you danced with anyone yet?" Sarah asks casually. "Since the dare did involve-"

"Yeah. One full song, I got it. You don't have to keep reminding me," Daniela grumbles. I glance at Drake. Our plan is to have him dance with Avril to get Daniela jealous. We have no idea if it'll work or not, but its better than Drake's original do nothing plan. I spot her in the crowd, and wave her over.

"Hey, Ella!" she says.

"Hey," I smile. She smiles back and winks.

"Ooh, a slow song! John, come on!" Sarah grabs John's and leads him on the dance floor. He widens his eyes at us, like, help me! We laugh.

"Well? Don't think you're getting out of this!" Myra heads out with Wade.

"Well, since everyone's going, uh, you wanna dance?" Adam asks Naomi awkwardly. She smirks.

"You're real bad at this, you know?" she pulls him out. So.

"Uh, malady?" Joseph holds out his arm. Marina takes it. Which leaves Drake, Daniela, Avril, Nolan and I.

"Well," Avril begins. "What happens now?" Drake looks at Daniela.

"Wanna get that dance outta the way?" she just stares at him.

"I'll, uh, take that as a no," he says, scratching his neck. He turns his stare to Avril. "You?" She shrugs.

"Eh, what the heck. Sure." I hold in laughter as Avril tries to show Drake how to slow dance. Nolan breaks the silence.

"You wanna try dance?" he asks. I scoff. Daniela excuses herself and heads off to another group by the food table.

"Whatever. Here, let me push you," I roll his wheelchair to the dance floor. He looks at me expectantly.

"What, you want me to kneel?" I ask snidely. He looks thoughtful.

"Get the crutch from the back of my wheelchair," he orders. I comply and hand it to him. He uses it in his un-deformed-bone-hand and puts the deformed-bone-hand on my waist, and uses the crutch to stand.

"There we go," he says.

"Won't Nurse O'Connell kill you?" I ask.

"Well, Nurse O'Connell doesn't know, and besides, she took an oath not to hurt her patients, so I think I'm good." I put my arms on his shoulders, since that's what everyone else is doing.

"How the heck do you slow dance?" I hiss quietly.

"Uh, you do what we're doing and sway?" he guesses.

"Haven't you done this before?!" I exclaim.

"Yeah, but I never actually paid attention...plus, my memories _did_ get wiped. And I haven't tried it while on crutches..." Oh, my God. The freaking playboy cant _dance_. Are you _kidding_ me?

"Have you remembered anything else?" he asks.

"Uh, everything except after you said the thing about the PS3," I say.

"I'm still at zero from that day. Apart from the meatloaf."

"Good luck with that," I say. He shrugs.

"I'll remember. I feel like it was important on the fall. Something important happened, I mean."

"I know what you mean. I feel it too, but...I dunno. I'll figure it out." The song ends, and changes to a faster one.

"Well, I'm out. Go check out the food table, or something."

"Alright. I'll go...I dunno," I reply. I want to talk to Stanley, and see what yesterday was about, so I search for him in the crowd. David walks past me. I snag his elbow.

"Hey, have you seen Stanley?" I ask him. He hesitates, before pointing toward the corridor by the toilets.

"Sorry, Ella," he says, and walks away. I stare after him, confused, then head toward the corridor. I almost wish I hadn't.

"Hi," I say loudly, and Stanley and Maren spring apart. Stanley swears under his breath. Maren just looks confused.

"So. I just came to ask about yesterday," I begin casually. "Care to explain?"

"Um. Well, uh..." Maren turns on him.

"Stanley, did you...did you really do it _again_?" she demands.

"No! I mean, yes. I did. But...Ella, go talk to Damien. He'll tell you," Stanley says miserably. I don't respond, and turn on my heel, striding in the other direction. I hear Maren chewing him out behind me. Marina comes up to me.

"Ella, are you okay?" Marina asks. I realize that, as dumb as it sounds, I have a tear running down my face. I wipe at it, and nod. I should have seen it coming.

"Fine. Hey, where's Damien?" I ask. She looks confused. "Um, in the corner, I think. Why?"

"Tell you later. Thanks!" I stride over to him.

"What was going on with you and Matt, and does it have anything to do with Stanley?" I glare. He seems taken aback.

"Nothing, it-"

"Bullshit. What happened?" He looks almost...scared. Damn right he should be.

"We had a disagreement over...you."

"Me? Why?"

"There was a...bet. On your first day, we said Stanley couldn't make you like him. So, when we got to know you, Matt wanted to call off the bet. The rest of us said we should follow it through, though..." he trails off. I gape.

"So none of you were really my friends?"

"No, we were, are-"

"What about Nolan? Does he actually remember nothing or was it a lie?"

"He doesn't remember the bet. He's changed since the accident, more...I don't know, player-ish? But he doesn't remember, Ella."

"I don't believe you, you jerk!" I say, slap him, then run outside. I cant believe it. One thing struck me, though. If I wasn't truly his friend, then why did he jump off a building to save me? Nowadays he seems snarkier, I agree with Damien on that. Should I still like Matt? I mean, he did want to discontinue it...no. I'll think about this later. I hear footsteps.

"Hey, Ella," Drake and Adam sit next to me.

"You aren't going to ditch me too, are you?" I sniff.

"Nah, we're the real deal. That's the popular crowd for you, always messin' with ya," Drake says.

"News travels that fast?" I ask in disbelief.

"Oh, no, Adam threatened to beat him up if he didn't tell us what he told you. He was pretty scary," Drake supplies. I smile.

"I'm supposed to be cleaning up. And taking Nolan back to the hospital," I groan.

"I'll do it. I can see if the bastard remembers anything," Adam volunteers.

"Thanks Adam. You too, Drake. You guys are the best." I hug them. I have one question, though.

"Hey, guys? Why did the nine really split up? I think I'm involved enough to know." They shift awkwardly.

"Well, the first thing you've gotta understand is there was a bit of confusion in the romance department, and I mean, that just doubled what happened and made it blow up," Adam starts.

"Yeah. There were all these weird love triangles, and Adam was in one-" Adam interrupts Drake.

"Yeah, yeah. The major one was Maren, Stanley and John. Dang, that one was intense. John and Stanley were either real good mates, or they wanted to kill each other all the time. Then someone, dunno who, dared Stanley that he couldn't get Maren, and all this crap between John and Stanley happened."

"Then, eventually, Maren actually started liking him, I think. Pretty much all the boys were in on it, except John, obviously, and I think Cody was a bit on the side. Well, he doesn't really take sides, so I don't really know about him, but-"

"She doesn't care about if Cody picks sides or not," Adam says. Drake looks peeved.

"Stop interrupting me! Fine. So, then Myra and Adam were sorta a thing, but she chose Wade because she didn't want a serious relationship, and she didn't want to hurt Adam or whatever, so John started hating HER-"

"How did the others fit into it, again?" Adam asks pointedly.

"Patience, young cricket," Drake says.

"It's actually supposed to be grasshopper," Adam replies. I grin.

"Maggie, Hannu, Cody, Marina and Joseph's side of the story, please?" I ask pointedly.

"Right," Adam says, and coughs a little. "So, Marina and Joseph. They liked each other-"

"It was really obvious," Drake puts in. Adam glares at him.

"What were you saying about interrupting?"

"Oh. Um, sorry."

"And everyone was pressuring them into getting together, and Joseph couldn't handle the stress, so he lied and told Marina he hated her, so everyone would stop it. Marina obviously got really upset, and that was the end of that. Then Cody, well, he'd spread these rumors, and Marina blamed him for the thing with Joseph, and if Marina didn't like someone, well..."

"You've talked for ages. She's probably getting bored," Drake complains.

"No, it's interesting. Besides, I did ask. Keep going," I say.

"Okay, then-"

"No, it's my turn!" Drake whines. Adam rolls his eyes.

"Okay, go on, then."

"Right! Well, Hannu was originally on Stanley's side with the whole Maren thing, but he was actually nice, so he realized it was wrong and tried to swap sides. Stanley shunned him, and John said that the damage was already done, and he got mad. Then with Maggie...um, I don't actually know. Adam?"

"You want me to talk for the complicated bit. How nice of you. Basically, she started hating Stanley and the ones who were originally on his side because what they were doing was wrong. But then, and we don't really know what happened, but her and Maren fell out for some reason, and then...yeah. Everyone else just drifted apart," Adam finishes, taking a breath. I sit in silence for a while.

"Wow. I thought it was, like..."

"Oh, don't worry, there was other stuff mixed in there, too. We just didn't want to keep you here for another hour," Drake assures me.

"Right. Well..." Something occurs to me. I grin.

"Hey, don't you still have a dance with Daniela left?" I smirk.

"Uh, well, while you were, uh, talking with Stanley, I danced with Avril, then Daniela came over and said that she wanted to get the dance over with," Drake informs me, seemingly pleased.

"Ooh, someone sounds jealous," I grin.

"It looked pretty violent, too," Adam put in.

"Aw, stop it. You're making me blush," Drake grins. We sit in silence for a while.

"You know, this reminds me of that party we threw," I muse.

"Yeah. Remember when Drake thought Stanley was Maren?" Adam says. I laugh.

"And you slapped him, too. Bastard deserved it," I agree.

"Well, what about when he threw you in the water, and us three tackled him?"

"That was awesome. The other three got Nolan," I say, a faint smile on my face.

"And Drake put up the table wrong-"

"I did not! I told you, it was a sand-hopper!" We spend the rest of the night laughing together. Too bad it was such a washout.

 **Okay, so another question. Do an epilogue, so it would only have about three more chapters, or continue the story?**

 **Remember, your vote counts! Jeez, I sound like an X Factor host. Anyway, yeah. Hope you enjoyed.**

 **-HV**


	14. Nolan Likes Who Now?

**A/N**

 **Hey y'all! How's stuff?**

 **So, I'm super happy right now, so I felt like updating, and here's the next chapter! Just a warning though, this is the last one I've already pre-written, and the next lot of chapters are the ones that would've been in the sequel, so...yeah. I guess we're halfway through the story. Coolio!**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

"Are you avoiding me?" Nolan asks bluntly.

"What? No, I-"

"Am avoiding me. Why?"

"I dunno, things are getting to me, and I'm remembering stuff and-"

"That reminds me! I remembered something else!"

"Yeah?"

"Your dumb tomato joke." Wow.

"...Seriously?"

"Yep," he replies.

"Right, well, I gotta get going, so-" My head starts pounding. I collapse on to the floor.

"Ella? You okay? ELLA." My head hurts so much. I writhe on the ground, trying not to scream. I do anyway. And, you guessed it, pass out.

"Open your eyes!" I hear a yell. I do so, and see Nolan there, falling beside me. He must be falling faster since he weighs more.

"Why did you jump?!" I scream at him. He shrugs, then grabs my arm and pulls me onto his back. He braces, positions his feet, and looks back at me.

"In case I don't survive this," he begins. "Tell Matt he can't have my PS3."

"What if I don't survive?"

"Ella, you're a bet." And then he turns his head to face me and kisses me. Then, life hating me as much as it does, we hit.

I jolt awake. Is that what happened? The PS3 bit's right, so...oh, my God. I have to...Nolan wont remember. Oh my God. Adam and Drake are hovering above my bed.

"What happened?" Adam asks.

"I...I remembered something."

"That's awesome! What was it?" Drake asks.

"You know how I told you about my first kiss?" I say uncertainly. They nod.

"Turns out it wasn't my first."

"What? You mean you were kissed _before_ that? When?" Drake questions.

"Uh, well, I had a flashback of...falling off the roof," I begin. They nod again. "And, well, as we were falling, Nolan told me that I was a bet," I say slowly. Adam, I think, catches on to where I'm heading.

"Are you serious?"

"Dead. And then, he, uh, he kissed me," I finish. They gape at me.

"Close your mouths, you'll catch flies," I say half-heartedly.

"ELLA WHAT WILL YOU DO?" Drake exclaims loudly. I cover my ears.

"I dunno. The guy I think I may have liked but am still unsure kissed me, then got amnesia and doesn't remember it. God, my life sucks," I sigh.

"Then go tell him now," Adam says.

"Yeah, but he's changed. He's different now, I liked the old him. Not the new version," I reply.

"Well. This officially sucks," Adam deadpans.

"Yep. It sucks pretty damn bad."

"Nolan, you have to remember. You gotta. You need to know what happened," I urge.

"And if so, I heard the grass gets greener."

"Yeah, I'm sure things'll be fine if you remember."

"I'm sure, it's gonna all get clearer."

"I really hope so," I reply.

"I know, I'm gonna turn this around."

"That's the spirit. I know you will too."

"Cause I'm not gonna let you try to keep me down, no."

"Hold up. _I'm_ trying to keep you down? What are even talking about-"

"I'm feeling tip top, I'm not gonna stop, tapping my shoes." I look at him closer, and see earphones. Is he for real?

"NOLAN AMBROGIO KODENZ." Nolan opens one eye, and takes out his earphones. "Uh oh. Full name."

"I'm trying to talk to you. Stop listening to..." I try to pick up his iPod, which he desperately tries to keep away from me.

"Hey!" He protests.

"Why are you hiding it? What, are you on Tinder?" Finally i manage to snatch it, and I press the power button. And burst into fits of giggles when I see what he's listening to.

"You listen to The Vamps?" I ask incredulously. He looks defensive.

"Just one song!" He argues. I pull out the earphone cord, and the music starts playing out loud. Then, I flick through his playlist.

"Oh my God, you do listen to them! What's that one song crap?" I tease. He scowls.

"But it is! See, Hurricane," he points to it. I nod exaggeratedly, and scroll down.

"But wait! See, Wake Up, Somebody to You, Can we Dance," I retort, smirking. "I thought you _hated_ modern pop music."

"I do," he grumbles.

"Then?" I grin, pointing to the iPod.

"I like it," he mutters. I burst out laughing again.

"Your points about Marvin Gaye are invalid," I conclude.

"Whatever. You wanted to talk to me?" Good subject change My laughing subsides.

"Uh, yeah. You don't remember anything?"

"Not really. Sorry, El."

"It's alright. It might not even matter, if I take up Crayton's offer," I mumble the last part, but he still hears.

"What offer?"

"Nevermind. See you later," I say, and turn to exit. No point worrying him about it. But he grabs my arm.

"Why cant you just tell me if its so important?"

"Because...I cant. Just...I don't know!" I exclaim.

"Helpful," he says, raising an eyebrow.

"Ugh, I give up. Let me know when you remember, you might change back," I say.

"Change back?"

"To your old self," I reply.

'"So who I am now isn't good enough for you?" he demands.

"No...its just...you have to remember to understand," I sigh. He pauses.

"Why'd you leave the dance early the other day?" he asks. I take a deep breath. "I cant tell you."

"What? Why? Is there something _else_ I missed when I forgot everything?" I nod.

"Bloody hell. I really needa remember shit," he runs his hand through his hair.

"Yeah. You do," I say.

"So you remember everything now?" I nod.

"You gonna tell Dr Haol?"

"Ugh, I don't want to," I reply. And, just my luck, he walks in.

"Speak of the devil," Nolan mutters.

"Have you remember anything else?" Dr Haol asks

"Yep, everything, its really personal so I don't want to tell you, and if I do, you might use it to try influence Nolan's memory, which would be bad, so I'm not sharing," I rant.

"But you have to for us-"

"No. You don't need to know for our files. If I don't want to say anything, I don't have to."

"We're trying to _help_ you-" he begins.

"I don't need help, I already remembered," I point out. He waves his hand.

"Fine. Go," he says. I do, and skip outside. He doesn't freaking remember. Great. My phone beeps. Adam. How'd it go? I text back a quick reply. No go. I sigh, and hop in Crayton's car.

"Ella, I know it's rushed, but...I need to know your answer," Crayton says.

"Yeah?" I ask.

"Yeah. I just don't know if staying here's good for you-" I cut him off.

"Oh, cause it was _so_ great at Mogadore, right?" I exclaim. He shakes his head. "I was _bullied_ , _abused_ , and you want me to go back?" I demand.

"You fit in quite well when you wanted to. Once they get past the soccer game, you can go back to the way you were."

"But-" Well, hang on. Half my friends have sort of distanced themselves from me, and since Nolan's still not his old self, and probably never will be, the only people worth staying for add up to about three, so why not? "You know what? Cool, lets do it," I reply.

"Really?" Crayton asks.

"Yep. I'll go pack." I race up the stairs, and into my room. I glanced around at the posters, and the clothes strewn over the floor. Then my eyes land on the dress. My old Mogadorian clothes. Well, if I'm going back, I'm doing it my way. My old way. I start chucking clothes into the bag. Mogadore, you better watch out. It's time for Ella to rule the school again.

"You will Skype, and text, and send letters!" Adam sends Drake a look.

"No-one sends letters anymore, doofus," he says.

"Hey! My great aunt Matilda does!" I snicker. I'm gonna miss these guys.

"Well, I'll call you later, 'kay?" I say, opening the car door.

"See ya later, Ella-gator!" Adam calls. I smile.

"Drake forgot the toilet paper!" I say back. Drake pouts.

"It's not my fault I couldn't find it," he grumbles. Adam and I exchange a glance, and he takes a small step away from Drake.

"Bye, guys," I wave. They wave back.

"Bye, El!" They say in sync. Creeps...Crayton starts driving.

"I liked those friends of yours. But I think it'll be good moving, so you wont get hurt anymore," he tells me. I nod absentmindedly, rolling down the window.

"Yeah. No more pain."

 **So...the sequel is about to begin. The longer wait for chapters is about to begin. Fun.**

 **I kinda based Nolan's music taste around mine (okay, I base quite a lot of Nolan off of some of my quirks, but whatever), and me and my friend had pretty much that same convo about it when she saw my youtube once.**

 **Also, any other story ideas for Ella's time at Mogadore are very welcome. There will be at least five or six chapters of her time there, so I want good, meaty stuff. Meaty stuff makes it sound weird, but whatever. But yeah, ideas are very welcome, and have a 99.9999999999999999999999999999999999999% chance of being used.**

 **Until one of you guys gives me ideas,**

 **HV out**


	15. Drew Barrymore? What Were You Thinking?

**A/N**

 **Okay, so I changed this because I realized not everyone would get it if I used Dirksen, so I used Barrymore instead. On another note, chapter 17'll be up soon, and yeah.**

 **Enjoy!**

"Hey, house. Did you hear?" I whisper, placing my hand on the balustrade. "Ella's back, baby!" I head up the stairs, and start unpacking. School tomorrow is gonna be _fun_.

I get about halfway across the courtyard before the whispers start flying. I see Phiri in one corner, glaring at me. I smile back. Okay, that's not gonna change. But fair enough. I sidle up to my old group of friends, who are leaning against a wall, texting.

"Hey guys," I say. They give noncommittal greetings in reply. I wait. Haylee looks up, and her eyes widen.

"Oh my god, Ella!" She exclaims, hugging me tightly. I don't wince as her long nails dig into my shoulders.

"How was Garde? Was it horrible?" Gigi asks, eyes wide. I think about that.

"Depends on your definition of horrible," I reply mysteriously, popping an eyebrow. She pushes my shoulder.

"Well, you've got your best friends back now," Haylee says. I don't answer. "You haven't found any new best friends, have you? I need pics!"

"Drake and Adam," I then think of a few others. "Marina and Myra." I pull out my phone, and bring up my photos. Before I show them, I look them in the eye.

"Don't comment on them, okay? It's weird." I give them the phone, and they eagerly look at it. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Their boy obsession always used to drive me crazy, and it still does.

Haylee takes a step back, leaving Gigi to try and stop herself from dropping my phone, and examines me. "It's happened, hasn't it?"

Gigi and I exchange a glance. "What's happened?" We ask in sync. Haylee's eyes rolled.

"You've kissed someone, haven't you?" See, even though I had a bit of a reputation at Mogadore, I never actually went out with anyone. Meaning I hadn't been kissed my entire duration at Mogadore previously. But what the hell, if Haylee knows with her weirdo sixth sense, I may as well confirm it.

"Not a someone," I begin cryptically. "Some _ones_." Both their jaws drop.

" _Two_ guys? What happened? Are you dating one of them?" I shake my head.

"One's a total douche. The other one, well. He...got amnesia, and changed. So no, I'm not," I answer.

"Sorry 'bout that, El. But Gigi, give her the phone back, this I _need_ to see." She hands it over, and I swipe left a few times to a group photo.

"There ya go. That one there's the douche. Feel free to say whatever," I say, pointing to the picture of Stanley.

"Eh, he's pretty good looking. Is that the other one?" Haylee hovers her finger over Nolan.

"Uh, yeah. How'd you know?" I ask curiously. She shrugs.

"Sixth sense, remember? I know these things."

"Right. Well, class starts in like one minute, so do you guys wanna head to class?" I ask casually. They stare at me.

"Um, yeah, we probably should," Haylee replies, eying me weirdly. I used to skip class all the time last year. Well, not anymore. Since Haylee has a different class to me and Gigi, we part ways in the middle of the hall. Gigi turns to me.

"Okay, Ella. I want the full story. There's something, I know it so don't try to lie to me," she says seriously. I sigh, and point down the corridor. "That place still there?" She knows what I'm talking about immediately, and nods.

"Let's go. This is gonna take a while." 'That place' is where everyone goes to have meaningful conversations, skip class, whatever. But no one ever did anything except talk in there. No hook ups or anything like that. This was the one room in all of Mogadore which hasn't been tainted by anything.

"Okay. Spill," Gigi says once we're sitting on the floor. I sigh, and nod.

"Right. So, there was this bet..." Half an hour later, we we're done. Hey, I explained it in _great_ detail, okay? Gigi doesn't say anything. Then: "wow."

"I know," I reply, rubbing my face.

"Do you still like him? Nolan, I mean." I shake my head.

"I dunno. I mean, most of the time I've known him has been his new self, so I don't know if I liked him before more, or now but without some of the snarkiness," I answer truthfully.

"Well, I hope you figure it out, El. Let's get to our second class. No doubt we've missed homeroom. Not that I'm complaining."

In science, we were learning something about space. I zone out for most of her introduction, until the door opens, and two guys walk in. They look kinda suspicious. I exchange a glance with Haylee, and she shrugs. One is wearing a beanie with huge black glasses, and is dressed in a button up shirt and khaki pants. He looks like a dorky junior executive. The teacher, Ms Kelinn, asks them to introduce themselves. Khaki guy speaks up first.

"Um, hi. I'm Dra-ew. Drew," he says exaggeratedly at the end. The other guy facepalms. I look him over. He's wearing a cap and sunglasses, with red skinny jeans and a beige jacket. They both look familiar, but I don't know anyone who'd dress like that.

"Luke," he says simply. Khaki guy looks peeved. I would be too, if my buddy introduced themselves that much smoother than me. Hmm.

"Last names?" Ms Kelinn asks. They exchange glances, and Sunglasses seems to have lost his cool. Then he seems to compose himself.

"Hemmings," he replies.

"Barrymore," Drew says. I snicker, along with half the class. They both stride to the back of the class, and take their seats. A couple minutes later, Drew raises his hand.

"Can I go pee?" Way to put it eloquently, really. Ms Kelinn looks amused, and nods.

"Of course, Drew." A few seconds after he walks out the door, I feel my phone buzz. I quickly turn it to mute, and slide my thumb across it. Nolan.

how the mogs treatin ya? Out of all Nolan's speeches he'd given me on using good grammar, he still text talked like nobodys business. I type back a reply.

Eh, good I guess. Nothings really changed.

evry1s rl depressed n stuff here. its so quiet without u here. I roll my eyes at that.

There's these new guys who introduced themselves as Luke Hemmings and Drew Barrymore. I think I hear Luke cough, and glance anxiously over my shoulder, scared he's reading my texts. But he's sitting two rows away. Coincidence.

luke hemmings? drew barrymore? idiots. I stare at my phone incredulously.

yeah

what class u in? science?

Yeah. How'd you know? I hear Luke swear behind me, and resist the urge to turn back and look at him. I lose eventually, and peer over my shoulder. His head is in one hand, and his eyes are glued to the front. Well, I can't see behind his sunglasses, but it looks like he's facing the front anyway. I need to stop being paranoid.

uh, lucky guess

Luke's behind me, and he keeps making noises. It's freaking me out.

well, I gotta go, teachers comin round. ttyl

Bye. A minute later, Drew walks back into the room. I freeze as he walks past me. What if he was Nolan in disguise? And Luke was, I dunno, Matt or something. I'm not a big believer in coincidences. I make a decision, and once class is over, I go up to them both.

"Hey, do you guys want to sit with me at lunch?" I ask. They look at each other, before Drew nods.

"Sure. See you then."

"Let me get this straight. The new guys are sitting with us?" Haylee checked.

"Yeah. If they ever show up, that is," I say, eying the entrance.

"They're probably lost. Mogadore _is_ pretty big," Gigi reasons. I nod, but don't break my stare. I hear her sigh.

"Who're you looking for?" I jump, and turn around. Drew is standing there, trying to follow where I was looking. Luke is slouched beside him.

"Hi," Haylee says, unashamedly checking them out. That girl, I swear.

"Can we sit?" Luke asks awkwardly.

"Sure," I say, gesturing to the empty seats. They sit down, and the table goes silent. So I decide to try my luck.

"Hey, Drew, do you mind if I talk to you a minute? In private," I added. He looks confused, but I don't let it deter me.

"Um, okay?" He replies quizzically, and we both head outside the cafeteria. "What is it?" I take a deep breath, and wonder how the hell I'm going to do this. If I'm wrong, it's going to be majorly awkward. But if I'm right...

"I'm just gonna say it. Are you Nolan?" He stares at me for a minute, then starts laughing.

"Who the hell is Nolan?" He asks. But it doesn't sound very convincing.

"Prove you're not him," I demand. He shrugs, and takes off his beanie. His hair is blonde. I reach up and tug at it. Not a wig.

"Oh, uh...sorry. Wait. You know who Nolan is?" He swears under his breath. Well, he actually says something about toilet paper, or so I think. Then I freeze.

"How the hell didn't I...you're wearing _makeup_...you started saying you're name by saying dra, even though it's Drew...I'm officially an idiot." He is beaming at me.

"You're bloody _Drake_ ," I exclaim.

"Well, yes. Technically, that's me. But right now I'm Drew," he finishes happily.

"How the _hell_ did I not know?" I ask myself incredulously.

"I dunno. You have spent pretty much every day with me for almost a year," he muses. I hit his arm.

"Whatever. You're not helping. What about Luke? Is he secretly, what, Matt or Stanley in disguise?" I question.

"No, no he's not," he replies. I feel myself relax.

"Why are you here? And why did you say your name was Drew Barrymore?"

"I heard someone mention him once. And I couldn't think of anything else," he explains. My eyes roll.

"Trust me, I could tell."

"So, how long are you gonna be here for?" I ask him.

"I don't know. I actually am here on a transfer thingy. A couple weeks?"

"Right. So, Luke isn't anyone? He was just being funny when he said his last name was Hemmings?" I check. He nods,

"Yeah. He was just being funny." I'm not sure if I believe him.


	16. Good Luck With Philosophy

**A/N**

 **'Ello, everyone! I kinda ran out of stuff to put in this chapter, so nothing really happens, and I'm too lazy to think of anything...hopefully it's mildly entertaining though. Now I will go back to trying to memorize the lyrics to The Tide's Trouble. Wish me luck.**

"Hey, did you get question two?" I ask Haylee. She slides her paper over to me. Despite her tendencies, she's actually really smart. I copy her answer down, and lay my forehead on the floor. We are in the library for our sixth period study hall.

"-and this is why I'm glad I wasn't in your old class." I look up at the entrance, and Drake and Luke are walking through it. I wave them over, knowing Haylee won't mind. Drake's still got the glasses, but he hasn't bothered with the concealer now I know who he is. He throws his text book in front of me. "We're doing the _freaking_ pi unit again!" He wails. I examine his book, and smirk.

"I'm not in your class. We're doing trig," I reply triumphantly. Haylee raises her eyebrows at me.

"Since when are you glad to be doing trig? It sucks."

"We did the pi unit at Garde. Talk about yawn worthy," I explain.

Haylee looks at Drake sceptically. "Dang. Did you go to Garde too, or something? You seem to know Ella pretty well. And if you did the same pi unit..." Drake freezes, and I can see his brain trying to come up with something. Crap. He's horrible at this.

"Yeah, I went to Garde. We were in the same math class. But we weren't, like, close or anything." That was...actually a decent lie. Well done, Drake.

"You look familiar...have I seen you before?" Oh, crap balls. I'd shown Haylee and Gigi the photos...

Drake looks confused, and for once I'm glad of his obliviousness. "No, I don't think so." She seems to accept this, and starts chatting to Luke. I look at Drake. "Good save."

"I thought so too."

"So..." I begin, wondering how to phrase my next sentence. "How's Daniela?" He makes a face.

"No progress there. She's probably glad I'm gone. But everyone's in total chaos right now, it's super weird," he says.

"Huh?" I ask intelligently.

"Like, Stanley's kinda gone into this weird silence thing, then John's kinda through with him, and Maren's more serious, and then Myra...Wade's broken up with her," he says in one breath, which is really impressive.

"Really? That's great- uh, oh no, that's awful, I'm so sorry for her," I correct myself hurriedly. Drake grins.

"I'm Team Mydam as well. I mean, what kind of ship name is Made? Or Wyra? It just doesn't work," he muses, shaking his head. I stifle a laugh. "He hasn't made a move though. She's kinda depressed. Everyone's depressed."

"Well, that's lovely. So basically, they hate each other again?" He nods. I sigh. "I knew they got back together too fast."

"Who got back together?" Haylee asks, leaning over my shoulder.

"These people at Garde. Everyone knew them," I lie. Well, it isn't actually lying. Technically. She shrugs. "Garde people? I couldn't really care less about them. Go back to your conversation," she says, turning back to Luke. Drake and I each make a face.

"How're the rest of Stanley's gang?" I ask hesitantly. Drake shrugs.

"Well. They're Stanley's gang. They haven't really changed."

"Everything seems so different," I observe. He snorts.

"That's one way to put it. And-oh! Sarah's moving for a couple months." My jaw drops. I'd completely forgotten about Sarah.

"What about John? She was practically the one holding everyone together!" I exclaim. He shrugs again. "Damn. I'm scared to ask, but I've gotta know. Marina and Joseph?" I really hope Marina has her happy ending. She definitely deserves it.

"They're, like, the only two that're still together," he confirms.

"Phewsh," I exhale.

"Team Jorina nearly beats Team Mydam," he comments. I snicker. Does he have a ship name for _everything?_

"You know what I think is equal to Team Mydam?" I start slyly. He shakes his head. "Team...Draniela."

"That isn't gonna happen," he replies sadly. He actually looks like a really sad puppy, you know the ones I'm thinking of. It makes me feel upset just looking at him.

"Hey, you never know."

"Draniela isn't even a cool ship name," he complains. I stare at him incredulously. "You're worried about having a cool ship name?" I clarify. He nods. I mean, Korales or Mont could work for their last names...but they weren't really better than Draniela.

"I'll think of one," I promise. "But for now, you better crack onto that pi worksheet!" If Drake was anything like Nolan, he would've flipped me off and sworn at me. God, Ella, stop thinking about freaking Nolan! But him being Drake, he does something weird. Since all four of us (Me, Haylee, Luke and Drake) are lying on the floor, and my hands are in front of me, and our heads are pretty close to the ground, I guess (I can't even begin to explain the actions of Drake Kent), he _licks_ my hand. I repress a shriek.

"What the _hell_ was that for?" I ask.

"You were being mean," he pouts, but I can tell he's trying not to laugh.

"It wasn't even mean. Maybe annoying," I mutter. He nods thoughtfully.

"But I'm so good with words, I decided to use mean instead."

"Good with words? Can I mention the 'that's-'"

"No, you can't! Why do you keep bringing that up?"

"Because it's funny. But really; instead of being mean, be median or mode and do your maths," I crack slyly. He groans at me.

"That wasn't even a _good_ maths pun!"

"Well, I thought it was pretty clever."

"'Thought'," he points out.

"Whatever."

I feel a tap on my desk, and take out my earphones, looking up from my textbook. I discreetly slide my phone under the cover, hoping that the teacher didn't see it. But it's not the teacher. A familiar-ish face is staring at me.

"Do I know you?" I ask. He just shrugs.

"I dunno. I was hoping you could tell me that."

"I'm Ella," I introduce warily.

"Maybe I don't know you. I'm pretty sure I don't know any Ella's. I'm Peyton, by the way," he replies. I swear I know this guy. Peyton, Peyton...oh, right!

"You're that guy from the mall! That was dared to sit with me and my friends," I elaborate at his confused expression. He snaps his fingers.

"With the blonde girl with abs, yeah? The one that over ordered?" He clarifies. I roll my eyes.

"She ate all that food faster than I ate my burger. But yeah, that'd be Myra," I reply dryly.

"She seriously finished all that? Everyone in my house eats that much for dinner."

"Your house must be really small," I observe. He nods sharply. "Something like that."

"So, did you have a reason for coming over here?" I ask nonchalantly, twirling my pencil between my fingers.

He scratches his head. "Uh, not really. Just wanted to see if I knew you."

"Right, well-"

"Mr Evans, please sit down an stop disrupting Miss Ra," a sharp voice rings out. :Peyton winces, and turns to the front.

"Just asking Ella for help, miss," he says earnestly. Mrs Jugel gives him a disapproving look.

"You come in late, then prevent other students from doing their work. That is not acceptable behaviour, young man," she lectures. He nods, and when she turns back around to write something on the board, he slides into the seat next to me and rolls his eyes. "What a downer."

"She's almost as bad as Ms Carpin," I mutter. Peyton looks at me quizzically.

"Who?" Of course, he never went to Garde.

"This teacher back at Garde. Total nightmare." A thought occurs to me. "How long've you been at Mogadore?"

He looks taken aback. "How'd you know I was new?"

"You didn't know who I was. I was here last year and, well, let's just say everyone knew who I was," I explain briefly.

"Right. It seems kinda weird, like everyone at this school, I dunno, is in their own bubble, and it's kinda a more...like, I don't give a crap attitude," he says. I nod.

"I can relate to that."

"Ugh. Why do we even need to learn algebra?" Peyton groans. I look at him in from the corner of my eye.

"School's important, you know. Get a decent job, earn money, that kinda stuff," I tell him. He shrugs.

"Yeah, see, I don't care about whether maths and English wanna hook up. I don't wanna do anything with math," he states confidently.

I stare at him. "You know what you wanna do?" He gives a wry grin.

"I wanna be a billionaire. But that ain't gonna happen, so I just gotta deal with whatever life hands me. I'm thinking music or graphics is more my thing." I keep staring.

"Wow. That was...deep," I finally say.

"Right? I could be some shitty philosopher," he cracks. I smirk.

"Yeah? Maybe you can give me some advice on this stupid worksheet," I say, holding up my history homework. He raises his eyebrows.

"Doing homework during class, Miss Ra?" I shrug in response. "Don't ask me about history. I'm no Shakespeare." I'm about to correct him on multiple errors in his sentence, when I feel my phone buzz. I check the caller, wince, and try to unlock it before the song starts playing.

"-wake up with amnesia-" I quickly accept the call. I glance up to the front, but the teacher is letting everyone continue on with their work while she reads at the front.

"Who is it?" Peyton asks. "And 5SOS? Not that I have anything against them-" I make shut up gestures with my hands and he goes silent.

"What dya want?" I ask plainly. Peyton's eyebrows shoot up.

"Just seeing how you're doing. Life here is seriously depressing," Nolan answers simply.

"So I've heard. Bu-"

"How've you heard?" Crap.

"I have my sources," I reply mysteriously.

"Right. I've got Mr Rey's class right now."

"How the hell are you on your phone, then?"

"I've got his class. That doesn't mean I'm in it," he says mischievously. I roll my eyes.

"What else is new? How're you're arm and knee fixing up?" I ask. Peyton raises his eyebrows even further up his head.

"Eh. Still got the cast, still on crutches, it's gonna take a while. Like, next year." I feel my jaw dropping.

"I knew it was really bad, but that's your last year of high school! You're gonna be in a wheelchair for most of it because of me!"

"Chill. It was my decision to jump," he begins calmly.

"A really stupid decision," I state. I can feel his glare through the phone.

"Whatever. But I gotta deal with that decision. It was also my idea to go up to the roof. So don't sweat about it."

"I'm not sweating, I'm fretting," I reply.

"You're a poet and didn't even know it."

"Shut it. I'm gonna go, cause I've got the Mog equivalent of Ms Carpin."

"Eesh. Good luck. I've got her next. Mr Rey then Ms Carpin. Who the hell chose my timetable?" He ponders. I snort.

"Talk to ya later."

"Bye." I hang up, and turn to Peyton.

"Your volume's up real loud," he says.

I lift an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

"I could hear, like, your whole conversation."

"Right. Well, I'm guessing you want an explanation on why my friend is on a wheelchair?"

"That'd be nice," he drawls. I nod.

"Okay. So, I was on a roof, and long story short, I fell. So this guy jumps off after me, and I don't get that badly injured. But he's got all these deformed and shattered bones and that. And then we both got amnesia, but I remembered everything and he still hasn't. So yeah," I finish awkwardly. I don't know why I'm telling him this.

"I gotta know, why the 5SOS ringtone?" I stare at him.

"Why the hell is _that_ what you got out of all that?" He shrugs.

"Natural talent."

"Whatever. One of my friends, the one that 'over ordered', made it our 'theme song'," I explain briefly.

"But wh...ah, I get it, okay." I resist the urge to slap my forehead.

"Wow, you're a genius," I say dryly. He grins cheekily.

"'Course I am. I'm a philosopher. Shakespeare better watch out."

"I think you mean Socrates," I point out. He flaps a hand.

"Pfft. They both start with 's', right?"

"I really pity whoever actually listens to your advice," I tell him.

"Hey! I'm a very good advice giver, thank you very much," he argues.

"'Course you are," I mumble, and discreetly check the clock. Forty five minutes left. Something tells me this is going to be a long session.


	17. Enter Grandpa Ra

**A/N**

 **And...it's a filler. Basically. Long story short, I haven't looked at this story in ages but wanted to give you guys something, so here it is. Even if it isn't the greatest thing ever.**

 **Enjoy!**

I glance up at Gigi. "No way."

"Yes way. There's a party tonight. And what's a better way to come back with a bang than a party?" I sigh, and Haylee speaks up from in front of the mirror, carefully applying mascara.

"Exactly. Besides, you never know who might be there." Somehow, she manages to wink at me, without ruining her makeup. I wonder about that girl sometimes.

"Is that why you're going, then?" I ask. She pauses in her eyelash curling and turns to me.

"It's a party, Ra. 'Course I'm going," she gives me a sly smile. "Plus, Luke might be there." I feel my eyes roll. She faces the mirror again. "C'mon, El. Someday, you're gonna get married, and have a family, why not think ahead? It's like...choosing subjects for senior year to help you get a job, but instead it's choosing boys to see which one could be a potential partner." That is...actually quite deep. I didn't expect that from her.

"That was deep," Gigi remarks, voicing my thoughts. I see Haylee's eyes roll in them mirror.

"I'm more than just a pretty face, you know," she says.

"Who would've thought?" Gigi quips.

"Oh, do shut up. Or I'll tell Marcus you like him-"

"Shutting up," Gigi says quickly. I stifle a laugh. Marcus is her ex, who cheated on her and then must've changed his mind, because he started stalking her a few months later. He hadn't had a single girlfriend after that. Well, that I know of, anyway.

"He's still creepy?" I ask. She nods.

"As ever. Anyways, since you're both coming to mine for the night, we can get ready there, and no Ella, just because you didn't bring clothes doesn't mean you're getting out of this. You can borrow mine. Cool?" Haylee explains.

"Yeah, okay. I've got art in like five minutes, so I'm gonna go. See you afterschool," I say, and stand up. I exit the bathroom and head down the corridor to the art rooms. They have these tables with bean bag seats, and it generally looks like a rainbow preschool. But despite that, it's seriously the most awesome room in the entire school.

"'Ello," I announce, dropping into the seat next to Drake's. He jumps, and groans.

"Oh, not you! You're just gonna show off the whole lesson," he moans. I pat his shoulder.

"There, there. Not everyone can have my talent." He shoots me an annoyed glance. I smile widely at him. He just huffs and turns away.

"Hey," a voice says casually, and I feel a presence behind me. I spin and see Luke. "This seat taken?" He asks, gesturing to the empty seat on the other side of me.

I shrug. "Nope." He sits down, and pulls out his book. When he opens it, my jaw drops. The pages are filled with cartoon drawings. _Really good_ cartoon drawings. He notices me staring, and grins.

"Oh, I didn't draw these. That was Ma-y friend." I note the slip-up suspiciously.

"Whose are they, then?" I ask casually. He raises his eyebrows.

"Ah, you won't know him," he replies casually, flipping a page of his book.

"So, how're the Mogs treating you?" I ask conversationally, since Drake is ignoring me as he finishes his drawing of a...uh, I don't actually know _what_ it was. I think it was meant to be a plant.

He shrugs. "Eh, it's Mogadore. What d'you expect?"

"Fair enough. Uh, what are we meant to be drawing?" I question.

He looks at me in mock disapproval. "Not paying attention, Ella? One of those plants," he adds, pointing to the windowsill where five flowers sat.

"Oh. Oh, _that's_ what Drake's drawing," I note. I peer at Drake's paper, and hide my smirk. The boy can't draw to save his life.

"Hey, Dray," I whisper. "Is that...a deflated balloon? A mutated banana? A-"

"Ella," Drake begins loudly. "Shut up, please."

"Shutting up," I mumble. The rest of the class passes by uneventfully (except for me mocking Drake), until the last ten minutes. Well, it isn't that exciting, but I had nothing else to do except eavesdrop. The girl on the other side of Luke starts talking to him, and since I am right next to them, I can't help but listen.

"So, you're a transfer, right? Where'd you come from?"

"Uh, Garde," Luke replies quietly. That piques my interest. I don't remember him. And I'm sure I'd remember him. I knew most of the students. Maybe he just slipped under my radar. You can never really see his entire face, which is weird, but I don't pay much attention to it.

"Really? Isn't that the school with those kids in that accident?" I don't know what she's talking about, but apparently Luke does. Accident? Adam and Drake said they hadn't explained the whole story, but I hadn't thought they'd left out that much.

"Yep. I was friends with one of them." Then he winces. Which, again, is odd. I decide to butt in, even though they'll know I was eavesdropping.

"Who were you friends with?" I ask curiously. One of his eyes twitch, but he answers me calmly.

"Myra. I was in with Wade," he grinds out.

"Eesh, seriously? Did you hear they broke up?" The other girl looks peeved that I stole her conversation. I grin at her.

"Yep. Best news of my life."

"Why-" I'm cut short by Drake's yell of joy.

"Schools out! Woo!" My eyes roll, but I grin. Then it falters.

"Oh, crap," I say. Drake eyeballs me strangely.

"You're... _sad_ schools over?"

I shrug. "Well, now I'm going to a party at some persons house. When I would _really_ rather just be home watching Netflix."

"Fair enough." The teacher examines our work as we leave the room, and I hold my breath as she gets to Drake's. I wonder what she'll-

" _Drew Kent!_ " Huh. He must've actually registered with his real last name. Thank god. Barrymore would've been just slightly suspicious.

Drake gulps. "Uh, that's me?" The teacher jabs a finger at his drawing.

" _What_...is _this_?"

"It's a plant," Drake tells her helpfully. I roll my eyes again.

"I can see that-well, no actually. I can't. It looks like mutated broccoli. And...is that _Pacman_ there? Dear lord." Drake grins sheepishly.

"Well, I wanted to give it a _contemporary spin_ , per say, like you said you wanted! And I thought, hey, everyone loves Pacman!" The teacher just looks at him like, why me? As soon as we leave the room, I start laughing. Drake is smiling.

"You know," he begins, and I turn my gaze to him. "If you came back to Garde, you could laugh at me _all the time_."

"That," I state. "Is the crappiest come back speech I've ever heard."

"Good luck for your party!" He exclaims, then walks down the corridor.

"Ugh."

" _Ella!_ Ella Ra!" I turn around to see who's calling me, and have to repress a groan. My however many greats grandfather, Setrakus Ra. Who is even named Setrakus anyway? What a _weird_ name. Why is he here, you ask? Because he's the freaking principal. "I'm glad to see you're back at Mogadore."

"Yeah? Cause I'm not," I reply bluntly, and begin to turn around. A hand catches my shoulder and I am forced to face him again. I'm not exactly sure why Crayton hates him, but apparently he messed up some things with the rest of the family.

He gives me a wide smile. "Oh, you used to _love_ it here, I'm sure you'll find old habits die hard."

I flash him an equally big smile. "And I'm sure _you'll_ find those habits died with the amnesia." I feel a surge of triumph at his confused expression. "Amnesia?"

"Sure," I reply. "I mean, I fell off a building and cracked my skull, along with my dear friend who was in a coma for four weeks. But you'd know that if you really cared about your granddaughter, wouldn't you?" With that, I turn around and stalk out of the corridor, feeling oddly satisfied. Then I remember Haylee and Gigi are waiting for me outside the gates. Oops. Hopefully they didn't mind waiting...or, even better, they left without me so I don't have to go to the stupid party. But I know better.

"No, El! You totally _have_ to wear this! It's, like, the perfect outfit!" I am laying on Haylee's bed, staring up at the ceiling. She's holding up some clothes for me to wear.

"Whatever. So, where's this party being held?" I ask, munching on a pack of popcorn I found lying around Haylee's room. Knowing her, it was reasonably new since she was one of the biggest OCD's I knew.

She didn't miss a beat with reapplying her makeup. "Hayden's place." I feel my jaw drop.

"What? No! There'll be Garde people there! They'll know me," I protest. I don't want to see anyone I know! Part of the reason I agreed to move to Mogadore in the first place was _because_ I didn't want to see certain people again.

"Well, you can show them what they're missing. Didn't you say a lot of your friends turned on you? Try show them you're better off without them," Gigi puts in, and I turn my head towards her. "Even if it's not true."

"So put this damn outfit on before I force you into it," Haylee demands, holding up her hair curler threateningly. There was no arguing with that. I also wanted to try succumb to my old life a bit more, take my mind off the stress of recent events.

"Alright. What am I wearing?"

It wasn't a dress. But it was a skirt, and I didn't know which was better. The other two look me up and down with approving looks on their faces. Then they turn to each other.

"We're geniuses," Haylee remarks.

Gigi nods. "We truly, truly are." I raise my eyebrows, and Haylee directs me to the mirror.

"You've gone for the darker look, I see," I observe dryly.

"What d'ya think?"

I took in the black pleated skirt (which looks better than it sounds), white graphic tank and dark eye makeup. It wasn't my usual look, but it _did_ look good.

I shrug, still staring at myself in the mirror. "Hey, it works. Maybe the others won't even recognize me."

They do recognize me.

As soon as we walk in, the music doesn't stop or anything like that, but I feel the first glance. I know the girl. She hung out with Myra. Which means Myra is _probably_ here. I'm pretty sure she's still on my side, so that's okay. It's more the Stanley types I'm worried about.

Gigi nudges Haylee. "See your lover boy?" The latter scowls at her as she peers over the heads of everyone in the crowd.

"Oh shut up. I don't suppose Marcus is here, is he?" Gigi quickly stops talking. I tapped them both on the shoulders, and they turn to face me.

"Hey, I'm gonna go get something to eat, you want anything?" I'd learnt long ago not to touch the drinks. Gigi gives me a look.

"You're sure you wanna separate? You might not find us again," she warns. I flap a hand.

"I'm an old pro, I'll be fine. Meet outside, okay?" She nods and I head off in what I hope is in the direction of food. The host has a pretty nice house, well, mansion more like. It has high ceilings and patterned rug carpeting and a very grand feel to it. Fit for the royal family in whatever country still has one. England, maybe.

In my admiring, I don't look where I'm going and bump into someone. "Oh, sorry!"

"All goods Ella." I glance up in alarm, trying to put a name to the face in front of me. They take off their beanie with an exaggerated gesture and I finally get a good look at his face.

"Oh, hey Peyton," I say, lifting a hand in greeting. "What brings you to this not so humble abode?"

He shrugs. "Hell if I know. I got dragged along, and I saw no reason not to come. What about you?"

"You know Haylee? Haylee Cormana?"

He raises an eyebrow. "A Haylee hit on me my first day. That sound like her?"

I grin and shake my head at my friend's antics. "That'd be her. She made me come. Coming 'back with a bang', she said."

"Ah." We stand in silence for a while, none of us knowing what to say. We're not exactly good friends, he just keeps cropping up everywhere. Then I look over his shoulder and swear.

"Yo, you okay?" Peyton questions. I try and move behind him.

"Hide me!" I hiss, turning my back to the people streaming by. He turns around to face me, looking at me quizzically.

"What? Why?"

I try and make myself as small as possible. "People I don't wanna talk to. They're coming this way-oh, no. No, no no, no," I murmur, trying not to panic. It isn't working very well.

"Hey, it's okay. Who is it you want gone?" I point at a group of four people. One looks strikingly like Draco Malfoy. Another has a mischievous smile and brown hair. A blonde girl who I don't know is hanging onto the arm of a boy with shaggy black hair.

"Be right back," he says, and then he walks away, leaving me in plain sight of the approaching group. Except...he's walking _towards_ them. What is he doing? Is he going to-wait, he's _talking_ to them? I watch in both terror and awe as Peyton strides right up to them, and drapes his arms over the shoulders of Damien and Stanley. I can faintly hear snippets of their conversation from where I stand.

"Hey...heard about you...you going?"

"Drinks...who are you..."

"Whatever...sure, man...thanks..." I try to tune out after that. He's either helping me out or getting me in deeper than I already am. But after a few minutes, I'm surprised when the group started walking _the other way_. I'm pretty sure my mouth is still hanging open when Peyton comes back over to me, casually leaning on a wall.

"You...they just left...how?" I ask in awe. He puts a finger to his lips.

"A magician never tells his secrets."

"You're not a magician," I point out.

He nods. "No, I'm a philosopher. Which is pretty much the same thing." His wide grin lets me know he's kidding, and not just really, really dense.

And that is how Peyton Evans and I became friends.

 **Okay, I'm curious, how do you guys all pronounce Garde? Because I say it like gar-day, but I think it's _supposed_ to be pronounced just like guard. But I dunno. I think the way I say it sounds cooler.**

 **As always, if you have ideas for the next chapter, I'm open to suggestions because I haven't got anything up my sleeve for a little while.**

 **HV**


	18. I Run Out Of Luck, Of Course

**A/N**

 **I'm still alive! Even if you may not believe it! But yeah, this isn't really that great a chapter, but the next one will be. Also; read the question at the end of the chapter, 'cause it's important. I'm gonna stop talking and get on with it.**

 **Enjoy!**

I wake up and for a moment, I don't know where I am. Then I remember; I'm at Haylee's house. Blinking the sleep out of my eyes, I glance around the room. Gigi's still fast asleep next to me, but I don't see Haylee anywhere. My first thought was that she hadn't come home with us last night, which wasn't uncommon. But then I heard the sound of a teapot boiling, and I headed warily out to the kitchen. Sure enough, she was pouring herself a cup of tea.

"Hey," I say quietly. She nods back at me.

"Ella..." she begins, then cuts herself off. "Do you ever feel like you're in a perfectly normal scenario, and you have no reason to feel bad or anything like that, but your situation just feels so wrong?"

I smile. "You have no idea. So, what's the issue?" She took a seat on one of the bar stools, and I perched on the next one over.

"You know how I always joke about flirting with people all the time?" I nod. "And how I said I might like Luke," she continued, and I nod once again. "You know how drunk I can get. But...I kissed him, and...something about it just didn't feel right, y'know?" That surprises me. Haylee doesn't talk about a kiss as a potentially bad thing. It's not how she rolls.

"Maybe it's because he went to Garde," I joke, but I realize she's completely serious.

"El...I'm worried, because I'm feeling so out of it lately and that just proves that something's wrong with me, because it's just so _unlike me_ ," she sighs. "I'm just confused." I don't know how I can help her. I'm used to Haylee being a bit of an airhead, but now I think she's starting to outgrow it.

"I think you need something to take your mind off it. I suggest a trip this weekend," I say, coming around to the idea in my head. "No boys, just me, you and Gigi. Whaddaya say?" She nods, a smile gracing her features.

"Why not? Let's do a road trip. My dad has that old caravan he never uses. And hey, maybe we can even skip school on Monday, have an extra day. You have good ideas."

"Maybe not Monday," I reply. Drake had told me it was the end of his exchange on Monday, and he was going back to Garde. I wasn't sure if Luke was going too, because he was on an exchange, but I decide to file that thought away for another day.

"You wanna wake up Gigi?"

"Yeah, okay. Be back in a sec."

We were driving down the road with the windows down, and the radio blaring. I'm lounging in the back while the other two ride up front. We'd decided earlier to take a trip to Gigi's batch near the beach, since no one was renting it at the moment. And hey, who doesn't like the beach?

The other two are screaming along to the end of the current song, and I smile. When I'm with these two, I always feel free, like I can do whatever I want and have no repercussions. The song changes, and I hum the intro out of habit. I stop short when I realize what song it is.

 _I'm feeling tip top, not gonna stop tapping my shoes_

 _I ain't got a clue got nothing to lose, so watch me move_

Inadvertently, I grin, remembering the time in the hospital when Nolan sang this while I tried to talk to him. That was the day I'd discovered his secret love for The Vamps. Then I push the thought out of my head, trying to focus on something else. Quit it, Ella, I think irritably. It's not like you'll _ever see him again._

Apparently, I don't need to think up a distraction, because just then, I hear a loud creak and the caravan stops with a jolt that throws me off my chair.

"Hey!" I yell. "What's wrong with you?"

"I think you mean, what's wrong with the van. We've broken down," Haylee says solemnly. No one says anything for a moment. Then:

"You're not joking, are you?"

"Since when do I ever joke?" She pouts in response. I stick out my tongue at her, and climb out of the van to inspect the damage.

I kick one of the tires in frustration. "Oh my god, we're literally in the middle of nowhere!" Well, there _is_ a building complex about half a mile down the road, but aside from that, nada. Nein. Zilch.

"Okay!" Haylee says brightly, clapping her hands together. "I don't suppose either of you are aspiring mechanics?" Gigi and I exchange a glance as if to say 'is she serious?' "So that means we'll have to walk back to that bunch of buildings."

"Complex," I say absentmindedly.

I look up at her. "The bunch of buildings, it's called a complex." At her blank look, I shrug. "Never mind."

"So, Haylee and I can walk back because we haven't suffered any life-threatening injuries lately-" I open my mouth to protest, but Gigi keeps on going. "Please, Ra. I don't want you fainting on me halfway there. Besides, someone might just happen to drive down this abandoned road! And we'll need you to try and get them to help us."

"Subtle, Gigi. Real subtle."

"Not really," she replies. "Since I told you my intentions."

I wave a hand. "Fine, go. I'll stay on car watch." At their uneasy glances, I snap a salute and sit down in front of the caravan. "Honest. Go."

"See you soon, then." And then I'm alone. On a near-deserted road. Yay.

My old social studies teacher at Garde had a brown pin that said 'YAY!' It was the stupidest thing I ever saw.

...Wow, I'm kinda getting sidetracked here. I start to drift off when I hear an engine, and I look up to see a car approaching. I leap up and wave my arms, stick out my thumb, anything to get them to try and stop. Luckily, they do. I try to repress a maniac grin as the window rolls down. And then my jaw drops. I actually kick the car in surprise.

"Hey, hey," Nolan winces. "I like my ride without dents, thanks." I really needed to stop kicking things today.

"What...why...what're you doing here?"

He raises an eyebrow at me. "I could ask you the same thing." True. I kind of _am_ standing on the side of the road on my own like a loser. I scowl.

"I asked you first."

"Which means you should answer first."

"You're impossible."

"And immortal, apparently, seeing as I'm still alive and talking to you right now," he adds, looking at me pointedly.

I'm slightly confused about how I should act around Nolan. Everything was confusing when it came to him. But the fact remains that he doesn't remember anything about where our relationship stood before, so I'm not sure what to do.

"Um...if you don't mind me asking, why are you here? As in, driving down this road?" I ask awkwardly, trying not to make direct eye contact with him. But he seems determined to meet my eyes, even if it's to no avail. He sighs, and points to his knee.

"Physio. You know what for."

"I'm surprised they let you drive," I say in surprise.

He shrugs. "Yeah, I can be pretty persuasive."

I consider whether I should ask him to help us out. We need a mechanic, and none of us know how to contact one, but maybe Nolan does. I decide to give it a shot. "Hey, would you know how to get hold of a mechanic?"

"Why? Car not working?" He asks, nodding to the van behind me. I nod. "I can take a look. I know a bit about cars." He starts to get out of his car.

"Oh, no, that's okay. You're injured." He pauses in the act of opening his door and looks at me.

"Ella. Just let me look at your damn car, okay?" I don't protest any more, and watch as he hobbles over to the hood of the van. Using his good arm, he props it up and leans over it, eyebrows furrowing in concentration. Then he glances up at me, shaking his head.

"When d'you last get this thing warranted?"

I shrug. "Dunno. It's my friend's." He gestures for me to come over, and I go to stand beside him. "If you're gonna lecture me on how engines work, I think I'll pass.

He narrows his eyes at me. "Do you wanna know what's wrong with this thing or not?" I don't reply. "Okay. So, did it stall?" I nod again. "Right. I _think_ ," he begins, bending over the engine again. "that you're low on coolant. Either it's leaked or just used up, but either way you'll need a top up."

"Right. So, I don't suppose you happen to have any of that, do you?"

"Nope. You're outta luck."

"I'll call Haylee and tell her to find some." During my conversation on the phone, Nolan doesn't make a move to get back in his car. Which means that he wants to talk to me about something. Great.

"So, El," he begins, looking right at me as he leans against the van. I don't really want to talk to him, don't feel like having a weird flirty conversation OR a serious one about me leaving Garde. And judging by the tone of how we've been talking so far, it's gonna be the latter.

"So, how're the Mogs? They behaving?" He asks casually. I shuffle awkwardly. It feels like something has changed between us, but I'm not sure what. But he seems to know that, too.

"Yeah. It's fine," I reply halfheartedly. He raises an eyebrow at my unenthusiastic response, and I look down the road and almost wilt with relief when I saw my two friends.

"Woah, Ella, did you-uh, hi," Haylee trails off awkwardly when she spots Nolan, leaning on his crutches. "Do I know you?"

"Uh, no. We've never met," Nolan replies warily, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. He's probably annoyed he didn't get to talk to me properly. Well, too bad. I don't want to talk to him.

"This is Nolan," I say quickly. "And these two are Gigi and Haylee."

"Right. I suppose they're Mogs?" Our nickname for anyone at Mogadore.

"Yeah."

"I recognize you from somewhere. But where..." Haylee trails off and holds up a finger. "The photo! You were in the photo Ella showed me!"

A corner of Nolan's mouth lifts. "Did she say anything about me?"

Gigi and Haylee look at each other and start talking in rapid-fire.

"Did she talk about him?"

"Yeah, which one was he?"

"I dunno, that's why I'm asking you!"

"She talked about four guys, so you've got a twenty five percent chance of guessing right."

"Since when do you know math?"

"He's...the amnesiac! Right?" Gigi turns to me to confirm it. I run a hand over my face in exasperation and gave them a brief nod. A smirk is starting to form on Nolan's face. I don't even want to know what he's thinking.

"So," he begins casually. "What'd Ella say about me?" I give them both a hard stare, which Gigi catches, but of course Haylee misses it.

"Oh! You're one of the ones-" I know what she's about to say before she says it, and I cough loudly.

"Yes, he's one of _those two_ ," I say, glaring at Haylee pointedly. She closes her mouth sheepishly.

"I'm one of what two?" Nolan questions, peering at me curiously. I try to think of a cover up before Haylee can say anything else.

Um, um... "One of the...Vamps fans!" I exclaim, then mentally slap myself. What kind of cover was that? Nolan apparently agrees, because his eyebrows lift and his smirk grows wider.

"Oh my god, you like them too?" Gigi asks excitedly. Well, I guess my topic change isn't a _complete_ fail. Phewsh.

Nolan looks alarmed. I stifle a laugh. "Oh, no, I'm not a big fan, trust me."

"Don't lie," I say absentmindedly, and he blinks in my direction.

"I don't suppose you'd know, though, since you moved and all," he points out nonchalantly, and even though it's casual enough, I sense the deeper undertones in his words.

"Yeah, well," I reply lightly. "Sometimes you can't control things. That's life."

"Like you can't control your friends leaping off of buildings because you didn't look before you jumped?"

Gigi and Haylee's heads are whipping back and forth between Nolan and I, but I don't really process that. That one question makes me freeze, and I lock eyes with him. We'd talked this all through before, and he had specifically told me that I shouldn't beat myself up over it. That suppressed some of my guilt at the time, but now that he's talking about it as if it's my fault (which it is), I suddenly feel a lot worse. But then I feel angry, because yes, it WAS my fault, but we had been over it many, many times and we'd come to a mutual agreement that we were each responsible for our own injuries, and no one else's. That agreement had held, until now.

"I thought we had an agreement," I reply tersely, holding his gaze. He shrugs noncommittally, which makes my eye twitch."What's happened to you?"

"What do you mean, what's happened to me?" He barks out a laugh. "God, Ella. What's happened? Where do I even begin? With the shattered knee? The amnesia? How about the fact that I'll never be able to even run again without needing surgery?" He drops his head, breaking our eye contact, and then adds in a quieter voice, "I think that pretty much explains everything." My heart breaks with those seven mumbled words. I didn't know about the last thing, and I can't believe it's _that_ bad.

"Nolan, I didn't know-"

"Just drop it. Whatever. Go live a happy life, so I didn't nearly die in vain. Cool?" He says flatly, then turns and limps back to his car. "See you later."

I watch him drive away with wide eyes, and Haylee laughs nervously.

"So. The beach is waiting!"

Gigi elbows her. "Are you serious?"

The former raises her hands. "Hey, just trying to use a distraction! Don't hate me for trying!" I shake my head, and force a smile at their antics.

"Let's just go. I think I'll be fine once we reach the beach." I climb back aboard the van and lay down on a bench near the back. Maybe a nap would help me feel better. Turns out, my day was going to get a _whole_ lot more interesting. I drift off as Gigi drives towards the beach, and Haylee practically screams in my ear to wake me up.

"ELLA! WE'RE HERE!"

I sit up, rubbing my eyes. "And I'm deaf. Jeez, Haylee."

"Sorry," she says, not sounding sorry at all.

"Whatever." I jump out of the caravan and look over the beach. And my heart drops. I could've guessed, with Nolan heading out this way.

I make eye contact with Damien, and he waves. I frown.

And he's not the only one. The entire Garde High junior class is there with him.

 **I know, it's not amazing or anything, but I've got some serious drama planned for the next chapter. Anyway, I wanna know if you guys want me to write heaps about Ella's time at Mogadore. Because I could realistically end this in a few chapters, but I could draw it out and have some drama with the Mogs. So, your choice.**

 **Until later (probably a few years while I hibernate),**

 **HV**


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